CURVE APPEAL

Designer Irene Gunter is behind this Chelsea home that uses rounded forms to stunning effect

- RACHEL LEEDHAM

What is striking upon entering this stucco-fronted house in the heart of Chelsea is that there are very few right-angled piece of furniture in sight: the hallway console has a gently rounded marble top; the formal sitting room’s voluptuous sofas are teamed with equally shapely coffee tables and much of the bespoke cabinetry displays subtle curves. Even the shower in the master bathroom has a beautiful bowed glass screen, designed to echo the lines of the vanity unit on the opposite wall.

Irene Gunter of interior architecture firm Gunter & Co, the designer behind this extensive renovation, is a great advocate of curves. ‘They relate to the concept of biophilia; human beings respond much better to soft shapes rather than harsh lines and corners, so introducing rounded forms contributes to a feeling of comfort and belonging,’ she observes. The homeowner, Snowy Li, who shares the house with her husband, Barry Wen, is equally enthusiastic. ‘The curves soften the rooms and give the schemes an almost art-deco feel,’ she notes.

Snowy and Barry are a young, dynamic Chinese couple who work as a fashion designer and entrepreneur respectively, and they travel extensively both for business and leisure. Their global outlook informed the brief for this house. ‘We have stayed in a lot of wonderful hotels and these have really helped us to define what we want from a home,’ recounts Snowy. She continues, ‘We know, for example, how important lighting is to us. We love soft, warm light and rooms that exude a sense of luxury.’