Crème de la crème

Refined furnishings, eye-catching accents and extravagant proportions reign supreme at the interiorarchitect Dara Huang's Chelsea home.

- BROOKE THEIS 

It's easy to see why lan Fleming chose Wellington Square in Chelsea as the location of James Bond's London pied-à-terre. This suitably stylish address is tucked away from the bustle of King's Road, lined with stucco houses and plane-trees, which have been carefully manicured so that sunlight can stream in through the rows of sash windows. AA Milne also wrote his romance tales from number eight, just a few doors down from where the interior-architect and furniture designer Dara Huang moved in, at the end of September last year.

She came across the property online and was immediately drawn to its monochrome palette and open living spaces. Built in the 1850s, the home is set over five floors with a glass lift at its center, and includes a glorious roof terrace with views across the communal gardens. The rooms are spacious with high ceilings, worn white-washed floor-boards and original cornicing throughout. It provided the perfect base for Huang to incorporate her signature sleek but cosy aesthetic, with luxurious textiles in warm colours, vast mirrors covering entire walls to cleverly magnify spaces, and sculptural pieces that play with scale. Huang's architectural background is evident in the clever configuration of the rooms, where the furniture is carefully arranged to promote easy conversation.