House Music

Developer John Hitchcox puts the soul back into his home, where Jimi Hendrix used to live

- Susan Springate

LIVING AREA

‘I think open-plan living really helps to make a happy home. I love that my whole family can all be in the same space together but doing our own thing,’ says John.

Sofas, B&B Italia. Tan Egg chair, Arne Jacobsen. Gold-leaf artwork (on back wall) by Marco Grassi

KITCHEN

‘Neither of us cooks much but we entertain a lot so we needed it to be practical and in keeping with the space,’ says Phoebe. ‘I am very organised so I love that everything has its place, behind closed doors.’

Custom-made kitchen in walnut veneer, Yoo Studio. Melt Mini light, Tom Dixon. Stools, BCN

For a property tycoon – and one who is behind the massive project to turn Olympia, London into a world-leading cultural district – John Hitchcox is surprisingly low-key. He cycles to work and has lived in the same house for 20 years. Granted, the five-bedroom Victorian villa is in a desirable part of west London but, in essence, it’s a family home. ‘I see home as the most important place in your life – so you need to feel comfortable there,’ says John.

‘When I saw this house, I bought it within a week. I loved the area but when I discovered Jimi Hendrix had written Purple Haze when he was living here in 1967, it felt like serendipity: it gave the house soul. I am a major music buff and in the world of rock, Hendrix is a god.’

However, the stars were not aligned at the outset; just after its first renovation the house burnt down. ‘A tear was shed but fire is a cleanser so I console myself that any negative vibes were wiped out.’