Sweet Symphony: A Home Designed for Four Seasons
On a quiet street in Putney, a famously leafy residential quarter of London, this contemporary property is home to an Austrian family whose love and talent for classical music is ever-present in the performative nature of the design.
A Baufritz architectural masterpiece, the home stands out even before you head inside. Once through the doors, the sense of space is immediately uplifting, while natural light brings kinetic energy as well as tranquillity with it. In an instant it feels like you have entered a world of possibilities.
Say it with colour
While the architecture and design of this property is unquestionably sophisticated, the use of primary colours, particularly in the culinary space, indicates that this is a place that nurtures youthful exuberance and a fresh perspective.
The orange glass splashback pops in an otherwise white and stainless steel wall of flush floor-to-ceiling storage and sleek worktops; multicoloured Eames chairs and bar stools sit around the dining table and breakfast bar; and glass display cases sport yellow, orange and green backdrops.
Open top drawers showcase kaleidoscopic crockery and shelves are populated unapologetically with paraphernalia of everyday life. The combination of features is at once neatly organised and semi-curated, pointing to a literal and metaphorical openness that’s homely and welcoming.
Hidden talents
The use of colour in the culinary space is offset by otherwise brilliant white walls, cool concrete tiled flooring, vast windows and immaculate glass and steel balustrades on each floor.
The levels of the property are unconventional, with a mezzanine left lavishly bare and an open plan approach providing views to the floors above and below. The light merrily dances from one space to the next unhindered.
The use of space and materials also allowed designers to engage all the senses. Far from being a purely functional space by which you access the kitchen, the mezzanine has been purposefully orchestrated to provide a magnificent performance space with carefully calibrated acoustics. It is where the family practices music, allowing it to echo through the house, and adding personality and glamour to evenings with friends. You can practically hear the cello as you ascend the stairs, even when no one is present.
Designer details
On the other side of the kitchen, the interplay of levels, colours and sections continues as the house flows into a living space.
The change of function is marked by the move from concrete to wooden floors and Moroccan style floor couches in a style reminiscent of Missoni fabrics. While the tone of the space is different, the use of colour links one room to the next and also mirrors the jewel tones of the immense garden outside.
While this area is one for relaxation there is still no mistaking the sophisticated approach to design. Alongside the exuberant colours technology follows the same precise and state-of-the-art style as the architecture. Much as the kitchen showcases top of the range Gaggenau appliances, here a Bang & Olufsen sound system clings to the walls.
Playful this home might be, but not a single colour goes outside the lines.
