Suite Dreams

‘It’s incredible. It was just a no-man’s land. I mean literally, there was one petrol station – that was it,’ says Roksanda Ilinčić, looking out over London’s recently resurrected King’s Cross area. We’re standing in The Penthouse, an apartment she’s designed in the Gasholders London residences – it’s a far cry from the King’s Cross Ilinčić knew from her many years living here before redevelopment took off. Though better known for her fashion collections, the Serbian-born fashion designer was a natural fit for bringing the penthouse space to life. She studied architecture and applied arts in Belgrade before moving to the UK and has a strong affinity to the area as a former resident and having attended St Martin’s College of Art & Design, now based at King’s Cross, to study womenswear. ‘I was so familiar with the area and I always loved the gasholders themselves, so I wanted to be part of this exciting new building,’ she explains.

Set over three floors, including a double-height sunken courtyard and private roof garden, it’s one of nine penthouses at Gasholders. Happily, unlike so many luxury homes of this type, the spaces within are refreshingly intimate and livable, and thanks to Ilinčić’s touch it feels welcoming and cocooning. An eclectic collection of art, including a mural and hand-painted screens by artist Catherine Devernaud (who previously worked with Ilinčić creating sets for her catwalk shows) have been carefully chosen for each environment, while lighting by Charlotte Perriand, mid-century sculptures and vintage Murano glass bring a lived-in feel to the sleek, contemporary spaces. ‘I think to really create a home that’s not soulless like a showroom, you have to look everywhere. Some pieces were commissioned, some pieces were found at auction and we unearthed some wonderful pieces at a vintage fair.’

From the moment you enter, you’re immersed in the designer’s signature colour palette of putty pinks and earthy neutrals, punctuated by bolder hues such as scarlett, ultramarine and marigold yellow. As you might expect, the use of materials and fabrics is confident and inspired, from midnight blue mohair and coffee coloured leather, to pink Kvadrat curtains, which bathe the rooms in a rosy glow. ‘I approached this project in exactly the same way as I do with my collections. I always say with my clothes, I try to create a sort of shelter for living. I don’t like it when people say that I design power clothes for women, because I don’t see that. For me, it’s not just about empowering, it’s also about sheltering and a house is something that provides that by default. So it was quite easy to follow those codes, especially in this beautiful building.’

Transitioning from fashion back to designing spaces, she says, was easy: ‘As a designer, I’m naturally drawn to finding inspiration in many different disciplines, including art and architecture. Also I’m kind of obsessed with chairs!’  There’s certainly evidence of a honed eye in the chair department, with original pieces by Lina Bo Bardi, Börge Lindau and Mario Botta woven into the interior. ‘I’m constantly on the search for objects. I love ceramics, that’s another inspiration of mine, I love sculpture and I’m obsessed with books – so these are things I look to for inspiration anyway.’

A central element of Ilinčić’s vision for the space was in the promotion of female artists, designers and makers; ‘That was very important to me. As a fashion designer, I think when you design clothes for women, you’re automatically championing women and being inspired by them. For this project, I really wanted women to be at the heart of it, not just in the selection of furniture, like the gorgeous Charlotte Perriand table we are sitting at, but also with the makers who helped us create this space including the florist, the gardener and the ceramicists we used.’ Even the books that line the shelves and pepper the apartment are about or by women. ‘I wanted to have iconic and emerging female makers coming together in this space.’

Will there be more Roksanda interiors in the future? ‘I would love to do more of it for sure. We live in a wonderful city and possibilities are everywhere – I’d definitely like to explore that.’