Nature’s Way

The first residents moved into London’s prestigious Chelsea Barracks development in 2019, yet its completion is far from over. The 13-acre site continues to evolve, and the latest name joining the roster of A-list designers who have had a hand in shaping it is Studio Squire.

The husband-and-wife team of Angelica and Richard Squire – whose respective specialisms are interiors and architecture – recently completed three projects on site, all of which use gardens, the seasons and British craftsmanship as their design cues. This two-bedroom apartment strikes a fine balance between the neighbourhood’s storied history and the development’s contemporary architecture.

Angelica Squire says that “Chelsea Barracks definitely has its own identity already. It feels like a wonderful combination of being a glistening new, modern development designed by some of the most admired architects of our time, set among some of the oldest and most beautiful areas and buildings within Chelsea. The site itself is incredibly inviting, with people passing through it at all times of day.”

In terms of her design thinking, she says that “doing anything too traditional or English wouldn’t have felt right. That said, there is a fine line between it feeling contemporary yet still full of warmth and cosiness.”

That warmth is the defining character of the apartment. Studio Squire was inspired by the natural environs, including Chelsea Barracks’ well-kept gardens, as well as the neighbourhood’s gated garden squares, RHS Chelsea and Chelsea Physic Garden. “This gave us touches of greens, ochres and browns, as well as pops of brighter shades throughout,” says Squire.

The living area is cocooned in Bauwerk’s Ibiza, a neutral beige limewash, with lots of texture to please both the eye and the hand, from woven-seated chairs to the natural off-white rug. Adjacent is a dining area, with Cassina dining chairs and a bespoke travertine table (a collaboration with Atelier 278) that is one of the apartment’s centrepieces – Squire says that installing the heavy piece was the project’s biggest challenge.

Cooler tones are found in one of the two bedrooms, which is painted with Bauwerk’s Baltic limewash, its mottled surface inspired by a moody London sky or the depths of the Thames. Glossy timber vintage bedside tables stand out against the blue, as does the dark red headboard. The oil painting above the bed, by Claudia Valsells, holds this palette together, with its colour journey of rich reds and deep green and blue, separated by a splash of pink.

Studio Squire worked with Olivia Paterson of Mayfair gallery Lyndsey Ingram to populate the apartment with art. “She suggested so many brilliant pieces and really went the extra mile in finding the right things for the spaces that complemented our design choices,” says Squire. This includes a pair of Michael Landy etchings in the living room, a moment of calm in a room filled with tactile objects; and, in the second, yellow-toned bedroom, one of Natalie Obradovich’s photographs of cliffside Italian beachgoers, which Squire says felt like “the perfect piece to add some punch to the room yet also work with the yellow and purple tones of the upholstery.”

With the design showrooms of Pimlico Road on the doorstep, the studio also used these local establishments to furnish the apartment, including Pinch, whose Moreau sofa has been used in the living room, and Rose Uniacke, whose fabrics are used for the headboard and curtains in the second bedroom. “We loved the connection between the new-build project and knowing we were weaving into it some familiar, local brands,” says Squire. These pieces are augmented by vintage and antique pieces from 1stDibs, Lorfords and Pascoe Studio, among others.

The apartment is a characterful and inviting addition to Chelsea Barracks, rooted in its surroundings but not nostalgic. By looking to the city’s relationship with the natural world for inspiration, the interiors are as timeless as nature itself, but with an urban sophistication that you would expect from such a coveted location.