An interior designer's effortlessly light and airy basement flat in London
‘For me, a good interior is made by interesting pieces that are thoughtfully arranged,’ says interiors consultant and online antiques dealer Thea Speke. Her weekend home, a former agricultural building in Wiltshire reimagined into a calm space and featured in our current issue, is a case in point, but her basement flat in west London, which she shares with her husband, Jack and their one-year-old daughter, proves her point equally, showing how well-chosen pieces can transform a space.
Thea first came to the two-bedroom flat in 2015. ‘I had just started dating Jack, and he and his younger brother were in the midst of getting planning approval to add an extension to their flat to accommodate the kitchen and living area,’ recalls Thea. Bravely – and in a good indication that their fledgling relationship could weather pretty much anything – Thea soon joined to guide on the decoration and finishes and it became her first project. She had recently finished studying Interior Design at the Inchbald School of Design and had just started working as an intern for Rose Uniacke, but admits that this was a huge learning curve. ‘It was daunting to jump right into the middle of a family project, but also a wonderful experience,’ says Thea. Jack’s older brother runs London-based building company Staunch and Flow, so he oversaw and managed the build, and gave Thea the confidence to get to work on the interior.
By nature of being a basement flat, light was something that needed careful consideration – as were clever tricks to make the space feel a little lighter. Aside from the extension at the back with Crittall-style doors opening onto the garden and a rooflight overhead, the space is long, narrow and architecturally pared back, with a hallway running from the front to the back and doorways off it to bedrooms. ‘To prevent the entrance from being dingy, I added curtains to the front door, which make it really inviting,’ explains Thea. The entire hallway is fitted with three-quarter height tongue and groove, which, like the rest of the flat, is painted in a soft white. Wall lights – with a gently curved arm – lead you down the hallway, giving the feeling that you’re in a wonderfully cocooning space rather than a basement. Wisely for a small London flat, she also carved out space for a utility room – hidden behind a job door – as well as for coats, which are screened off by another floaty linen curtain.
Furniture and fabrics, Thea explains, were key to ‘softening and warming the space up a bit.’ She opted for curved shapes and pieces with a certain lightness, as a way to soften the clean lines of the architecture, especially in the extension. ‘Pieces such as these leather chairs were so useful, because you can see through them and they don’t look at all heavy in the space,’ says Thea, gesturing to a pair of vintage leather chairs. These sit alongside a sofa that was made bespoke to a design by her then-colleague, the designer Jessica Summer, and a pair of squishy Victorian armchairs. For the kitchen, Thea had the units painted in a strong charcoal colour to tie in with the doors – a brave choice when she was on a mission for a light, airy feel, but one that paid off. ‘The cabinets are basically absorbed within the room and they draw your eye to the end of the room when you’re walking down the hallway,’ she explains. In the bedroom, Thea spruced up an old four poster bed that she inherited from her parents-in-law, painting its frame, adding a padded headboard and draping it in a lovely mix of ochre yellow linen and a ticking. ‘I wanted this bedroom to be grounding and restful,’ she explains.
Most of the pieces in the flat came from early morning market trips – squeezed in before work. ‘I’d fly there, leave with a bootfull of stuff, then fly home again and be at my desk by nine,’ she recalls. Ultimately, the sourcing missions not only helped Thea hone her eye, but also pushed her to leave Rose’s and set up on her own in 2020. Now she sells characterful European pieces through her online shop, as well as offering client-led interior design consultancy. ‘What I do varies hugely depending on the project,’ says Thea, who has recently worked with clients on houses in Suffolk, Gloucestershire and Marylebone. ‘It’s very much a conversation and a collaboration, rather than me imposing a scheme.’ As for the pieces she sells, it’s all about strong silhouettes and what Thea describes as ‘refined examples of their type’. A bit like this flat really.
Jake Curtis1/10In the open-plan kitchen, living and dining area of Thea Speke’s flat, the dining table, with its built-in banquette, has been pulled to one side to open up the space. A curtain forms a gentle divide between this space and the hallway, which leads to the bedrooms and front door.
Jake Curtis2/10The trestle-style dining table is vintage, as are the dining chairs. The built-in banquette features a tongue and groove back, mirroring the three-quarter height tongue and groove in the hallway. There are wood floors throughout the space, apart from the bedrooms, which have sisal carpets.
Jake Curtis3/10Thea sitting at the dining table.
Jake Curtis4/10In the sitting area, a sofa, made to a design by Thea’s friend and former colleague Jessica Summer, two reupholstered Victorian armchairs and two leather chairs cluster around a vintage table. The tall sculptural lamp cost £20 and Thea found it on Golborne Road. The little picture is deliberately hung low so that it can be easily seen while sitting.
Jake Curtis5/10Another view of the sitting room. Thea had the orange and rust coloured cushions made up from fabrics that she sourced from Goldhawk Road and Rose Uniacke.
Jake Curtis6/10In the kitchen, the units are painted in a strong charcoal colour to mirror the crittal doors that lead out onto the garden.
Jake Curtis7/10A vintage glazed shelf unit provides storage for glassware and doubles up as a drinks trolley. Thea deliberately chose pieces like this, as the glass gives a certain lightness in the space.
Jake Curtis8/10The bedroom looks out onto the garden through double doors. Sisal carpet gives it a lovely feeling, as do the cheerful yellow curtains that are made up from a fabric Thea found on Goldhawk Road.
Jake Curtis9/10Another view of the bedroom, looking out towards the hallway. The bed was given to Thea by her mother-in-law; she painted it, had a padded headboard made for it, and added the drapes to bring in a softness. The table and mirror are both vintage.
Jake Curtis10/10The small courtyard garden outside the open-plan living area and Thea’s bedroom is a sun trap, and looks lovely with simple furniture and striped yellow cushions.
