A neutral palette - Sophie Paterson Interiors

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A neutral palette
When interior designer Sophie Paterson redesigned her
own house she blended her signature style with that of
her husband to create a uniquely luxurious home.
Words Victoria Harrison
Photography Patrick Butler Madden
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What would be your first criteria when looking for
a London home? Location was precisely what attracted
interior designer Sophie to her mews house.
Well, that and the front door. ‘We wanted to make
the most of our pre-kids years by living in central
London and South Kensington is a lovely place to
live’ Sophie explains. ‘Furthermore I always wanted
to have my own front door; being house proud the
idea of sharing a front door with other messy neighbours
gives me a nervous twitch!’ So, with her front
door issues sorted, Sophie set about making this
London base her own.
Dating from the 1800s the house had great room
proportions and a good layout; fortunately it hadn’t
been extensively developed so there was plenty of
scope for Sophie to make her mark. Describing her
signature style as ‘classic contemporary with a predominantly
neutral palette’ her own home is a perfect
example of this look, albeit with a slightly masculine
twist. Sophie attributes this to the fact that
prior to moving here in 2006, she briefly lived with
her husband Kevin in his bachelor pad in Glasgow
and when the couple moved to London they bought
much of their furniture with them.
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Over time though Sophie has ‘softened and
lightened up the scheme’ and it is now a space
which she feels ‘represents both of us, with the
softer more feminine bedrooms very true to my
personal style and the more masculine rooms designed
with Kevin in mind and making the best use
of his furniture.’
Because Sophie and Kevin lived in the house
for a year and a half before commencing any work
they had plenty of time to work out what they wanted
from the space and Sophie was able to pinpoint
how they liked to live in the space before making
any changes. Like all projects though, it quickly
started to take on a life of its own and Sophie freely
admits that ‘what was meant to be a few cosmetic
changes soon turned into a total overhaul.’
On the ground floor they opened up the doorways
leading off the compact entrance hall, heightening
and widening them to give a greater sense of
space and pocket doors were also installed upstairs
to help the space flow in the smaller rooms such as
the ensuite.
The couple also installed a new kitchen and
bathroom, as well as new flooring and redecorated
throughout adding new soft furnishings to complement
the scheme in each room. As well as these
visible updates Sophie also added some invisible
improvements to make everyday life that little bit
more luxurious such as underfloor heating in the
bathrooms and kitchen, a heated mirror for applying
makeup, surround sound in the lounge and
lutron lighting throughout.
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“The living room is where
we gather with friends and
family so it’s got so many
happy memories”

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“Running my own design
studio was a huge help
in terms of sourcing
items and having a team
of trusted tradesmen”
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Download
the images
So, what does the future hold for Sophie Paterson
Interiors? ‘I love being hands on so I don’t want to grow
to the extent that I become a manager and don’t have
the time to actually get down to the nitty gritty of interior
design’ Sophie states, ‘first and foremost I want to
focus on producing beautiful interiors.’ And are there
any more home redecoration plans of her own on the
horizon? ‘Every corner of the house has been refurbished!’
laughs Sophie ‘I’m going to have to move so I
can try out some of my new ideas.’
sophiepatersoninteriors.com
twitter.com/SophieInteriors
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Heart Shopping
Style steal
Get the look from Sophie’s home
By Kate Baxter
Rihana Table Lamp, £95 from
The Chandelier & Mirror Company
Wooden Bowl And Rattan
Balls, £unknown by Creature
Comforts from ASDA
Leon 3 Seater Sofa
in Undyed Fabric £960
from Sofa.com
Sel de Mer Cushion Cover, £12.99
Monochrome Zig Zag Cushion, £7.99
both from H&M Home
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Jennifer 3+2 Drawer Chest,
£499 from John Lewis