Cecil Gurney's House: a waltz of flowers

No vagaries of the London weather are scary when you are visiting Hannah Cecil Gurney. The interior of her apartment has a blooming look all year round

Peacocks have fluffed their tails in the living room, Indian elephants are lined up in the hall, exotic birds are fluttering in the bedroom ... The imagination of the artists of the de Gournay company, which produces panoramic hand-painted wallpaper, has no boundaries. On the threshold is the hostess, the daughter of the founder of the brand Hannah Cecil Gourney (Hannah Cecil Gourney). In a dress by British fashion designer Jenny Packham, with whom the company has been cooperating for more than ten years, supplying her with fabrics, she looks like another flower in the middle of her spring garden.

Bedroom in pink tones. The walls are covered with wallpaper with hand-painted Badminton, de Gournay. Marble countertop chest of drawers, antiques. Mirror, French Bedroom Company. Table lamp, Guinevere. Vase, India Jane. Bed linen, bedspread, The Conran Shop. Silk pillows, de Gournay.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

"My father's first office was located right in the basement of our London house," says Hannah. "So I've been involved in the creative process since childhood." Having received an education in finance, Hannah joined the family business and has been successfully heading the marketing department for many years. Hannah's own apartment is located on the ground floor of a Georgian mansion in the Kensington Gardens area. "It's convenient to walk our two dogs in the morning," she says. 

Hall. Panoramic wallpaper with hand-painted Early Views of India, de Gournay. Console and lamps, Collier Webb. Antique chair (left), Birgit Israel. Mirror, Carlton Davidson.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

The area of the apartment is relatively small — Hannah, her husband and young son managed two bedrooms (main and children's), a dining room, a living room and a kitchen. The hostess was engaged in the interior on her own, her husband trusted her taste in everything. "Before my own apartment, I had practically no experience as a decorator, I acted intuitively. And now sometimes I think that for my husband Eddie, this interior is some kind of one continuous coloristic shock," Hanna laughs. — But for me, life among pale walls simply does not exist.

Guest bedroom. Wallpaper Temple Newsam, de Gournay. Lamp, Porta Romana. Bed linen, Fermoie. Pillows, Beaumont & Fletcher.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

Colors create a mood. Painted walls are good, but they are too cold. Wallpaper adds comfort to any room, especially silk. In this regard, I am also my father's daughter." The owner's wishes for the interior were reduced to a large flat screen in the living room and a professional kitchen equipped with everything necessary. "If I can live on popcorn and champagne, then my husband can't," says Hannah. "He's a cook and a gourmet."

Canteen. Silk wallpaper, de Gournay. Tableware Isphahan China Range, Oka.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

A lot of things in the apartment's atmosphere changed after the renovation of the premises: they got rid of unnecessary ceilings, cleaned the ceilings — they became much higher. "In all rooms except the kitchen," Hannah notes, "it was necessary to leave room for the built—in ventilation system. It is important to maintain a certain temperature regime here because of the decoration of the walls and ceiling with gold foil. By the way, the shade is exactly what happens to the wrapper of chocolates! For some reason, I immediately had this association."

Kitchen. The doors of the kitchen cabinets are from wenge. Brassica sconce, Collier Webb. Glassware, The Conran Shop.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

The dining room has a narrow elongated shape. To visually adjust the proportions of the room, Hannah used mirror panels. There are a lot of antiques and vintage items from the furniture in the setting, bought at Paris flea markets, where Hannah loves to "hunt" for a couple with her father. "The old chest of drawers that we have in our bedroom is a memory of my childhood," says Hannah. "The antique marble countertop was picked up by my dad when I was still a child." Most of the upholstered furniture is also antique, only in new upholstery of juicy shades to match the pattern on the wallpaper. 

Living room. Hand-painted wallpaper by St Laurent, de Gournay. The ornament repeats the pattern on the wallpaper in the Paris apartment of Yves Saint Laurent. On the floor there is a mosaic of different varieties of marble. Carpet, Wildash.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

The floral ornament on the walls is echoed by live plants, tubs with which are placed in all rooms. "Plants and pets should be in any house, my grandmother taught me that," says Hannah. — As a child, I often stayed with her. There was a large farm outside the city: horses, sheep, chickens. I'm used to the fact that we live side by side with nature. And in London, as much as possible, I subconsciously want the same thing." Upholstery fabrics in this apartment change as often as curtains and wallpaper.

A fragment of the living room. Sofa upholstered in velvet, de Gournay. Pillows, Beamont & Fletcher.

Photo

JOHAN SELLEN / LIVING INSIDE

Style

GILL RENLUND

"We are not afraid to let dogs on velvet sofas and do not make a tragedy out of a glass of red accidentally overturned on the armrest. We glue the wallpaper every six months — the profession affects,— says Hannah. — It's never boring in these walls. So come visit again, it will probably be a completely different interior!" 

Bathroom, wallpaper Fishes, de Gournay.

Bathroom, wallpaper Fishes, de Gournay.Kananykina Elena
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