A dream cottage in Chelsea with the feel of a country house in miniature
Buying furniture for a house that has yet to be chosen, let alone secured, is a bold move. But Sarah Morris, one half of the design partnership, McWhirter Morris, was unconcerned when she started buying pieces for her client’s dream Chelsea cottage a three years before it became reality. This small firm has been delivering elegant interiors, without fanfare, for twenty years. Add to this Sarah’s 17 years at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, and it is obvious why she felt confident.
Sarah had a well-established relationship with the client, having previously designed her nearby rental flat. However, the dream was always a cottage in Chelsea – and she finally found it in this early Victorian terrace. ‘Unlike a lot of her friends, who have sleek modern apartments, she wanted something quintessentially English. She has traditional, pretty, old-fashioned good taste,’ says Sarah. Despite her busy job, the client was involved in every part of the design process. ‘Visiting Chelsea Harbour is not something she has time for, but it was a collaboration, like all good jobs.’
Finished in 2022, the house is a delight, with more than a hint of the signature Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler look. It also feels very well-established, as if the interior comprises pieces carefully collected over many years, rather than bought all at once. There is a sense, too, that it has been designed with the owner’s wishes at the heart. Spreading across four floors, the 1,720 square feet space isn’t palatial, but Sarah has cleverly carved out everything from a capacious dressing room to an elegant downstairs cloakroom. With its beautiful fireplaces, meticulously sourced antiques (something for which McWhirter Morris is known), and sumptuous fabrics, it feels like a grand country house, only on a smaller scale.
However, when the client took possession of the house, it was a very different story. ‘It had been in the same family for many years, and was unmodernised and neglected,’ explains Sarah, who oversaw the replacement of all plumbing and electrics before executing a total decorative overhaul. The only major structural change was to the second floor, which was extended into the terrace to enlarge the guest bedroom and ensuite shower room. On the ground floor, an entrance to the television room was also blocked, and a new entrance to the stairs was created, but otherwise, layouts were rationalised by repurposing spaces. The ground floor study became storage and a downstairs cloakroom; a sweet desk and upholstered chair turned the conservatory into a space to work, while on the first floor, a small bedroom became a dressing room with space-saving pocket doors.
Pocket doors were also added to the kitchen. ‘It means if you are having a dinner party, and you’ve made a mess, you can close that area off to guests,’ notes Sarah, who freed up more space in the kitchen by placing a large antique cabinet in the dining room to house all the glassware and crockery.
The client had requests that directed the decoration in certain spaces. Most significantly, she wanted a blue drawing room, which Sarah has realised with walls in a shade of greeny-blue from Francesca’s Paints. Other schemes evolved from textiles with which the client fell in love, most notably in the main bedroom, which is designed around ‘Dianthus Chintz,’ a glorious linen by Soane inspired by an eighteenth-century sarong, which features on the blinds, headboard and bedspread. Each room has a distinct personality, but the interiors are unified by a neutral backdrop of engineered oak flooring in ‘Fendi Vedure Plank’ from Havwoods (havwoods.com) on the ground and lower ground floors, and sisal on the stairs and bedrooms; a clever way to give a small house a sense of flow.
As for the pieces that were acquired when the Chelsea cottage was still just a dream, including the table and chandelier in the dining room and the sofa and carpet in the television room, each one looks as if it were bought not just for the house, but for that specific place in that specific room. ‘Luckily, they all fitted,’ remarks Sarah. She isn’t really surprised. It might be a major coup, but it’s all in a day’s work for the designer.
Peter Dixon1/12A ‘Chinon’ desk in antique oak by OKA has been softened with colourful accessories, including a lampshade in ‘Rawny’ marbled paper by Compton Marbling.
Peter Dixon2/12A ‘Lacock’ dining table from William Yeoward is paired with the ‘Chloe’ dining chairs from The Dining Chair Company, which are upholstered in ‘Toile Floraison’ by Claremont. The curtains, made from a discontinued Mark Alexander fabric and Vaughan border, continue the blue theme, and have been contrast-lined so they also look attractive from the street.
Peter Dixon3/12In the dining room, the fireplace is from Jamb; the inset ‘Small Flower’ delft tiles are by Douglas Watson Studio.
Peter Dixon4/12In the kitchen, bespoke cabinets in ‘Oval Room Blue’ by Farrow & Ball are combined with ‘Chester’ solid pewter cup handles, ‘Hetton’ solid pewter cabinet knobs from Finesse Design. The ‘Corner Ornaments’ splashback tiles from Douglas Watson Studio match the fireplace slips in the dining room.
Peter Dixon5/12A charming small-scale wallpaper by Robert Kime is a perfect foil to the luxurious Derbyshire fossil marble vanity top in the loo.
Peter Dixon6/12‘The Soane fabric says so much,’ remarks Sarah, referring to the ‘Dianthus Chintz' design on the blinds, headboard and bedspread in the main bedroom. In response, she has kept the rest of the decoration simple with wallpaper in ‘Green Park,’ by Hamilton & Weston.
Peter Dixon7/12The curtains in the bedroom are made from ‘Milano Linen’ by Claremont, trimmed with ‘Arlington Fan Edge’ by Colefax & Fowler.
Peter Dixon8/12
Peter Dixon9/12In the bathroom, a pair of ‘Downham’ bathroom wall lights in nickel from Vaughan, with lampshades in ‘Fern’ by Chelsea Textiles, have been set high to make the ceiling feel taller. Faux bamboo mirrors add textural interest, while the tiles, now discontinued, are from Ca’Pietra.
Peter Dixon10/12Gathered wardrobe door curtains in ‘Seafern’ in aqua, by Colefax and Fowler lighten the look of the part-glazed cupboard doors in the dressing room, while the ‘Hampton’ ottoman, which has been upholstered in an antique fabric by Robert Kime, provides extra storage and a convenient place to sit.
Peter Dixon11/12A Swedish flatweave rug from Robert Stephenson picks out the pinky-red of the curtains, made from ‘Remy Handprint’ in raspberry by Guy Goodfellow, and the headboard in ‘Fez’ in vintage, also by Guy Goodfellow.
Peter Dixon12/12The stairs to the second floor are narrow, so in place of a traditional handrail, Sarah has added a ‘Plain Twist’ handrope with Turks head knots in custom colours from Trimmings by Design. Neutral walls in ‘Moonlight’ by Francesca’s Paints make this space feel light and airy.
