Cool Britannia

After years of searching, interior designer Louise Bradley found her perfect home in the shape of an elegant Chelsea townhouse

- Leanne Mirandilla

Finding one’s dream home can often be a long and arduous process. For British interior designer Louise Bradley, the search took three years—and renovating the space took another two. “It was one of my key requirements for the property to have the scope to be reconfigured into my perfect space,” she says, having written off plenty of striking homes due to some flaw or other, such as the drawing-room being on the “wrong” side, or uninspiring views of the backs of neighbouring homes visible from some windows—elements that might seem trivial but which Bradley knew she wouldn’t be able to rectify. “The location, architectural style and views were key, as you can’t change these through design and decoration,” she says.

Her search came to fruition in an elegant 2,550sqft Chelsea townhouse that’s a mere 10-minute walk from her design studio and showroom in Knightsbridge. It’s also close to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Hyde Park, two of Bradley’s favourite spots. “The house sits at the end of two parallel terraced streets, so there are wonderful views all over the neighbouring gardens,” she says. “I could see the potential when I walked through the door.”