52 : in.BRIEF
Nifty Fifties Vintage contemporary interior designer Clare Pascoe, who specialises in blending mid-century furniture with contemporary elements, tells us ‘how I met the brief’ in the first of our new series
N
o.22 Fournier Street stands alone due to its 1950s architecture. Flanked by substantial Georgian terraced houses, the property was reportedly designed by Richard Siefert on a WWII bombed-out plot. Designed as a semiindustrial space, and latterly used as student accommodation, the property had fallen into a state of disrepair.
The actual brief in itself was relatively simple; to furnish and style key rooms in the property in our signature Vintage Contemporary style, for a photo shoot for the London Evening Standard feature which would kick-start a marketing campaign for the property. The budget to pay for press loans, purchases, transport, expenses and set-up, styling
This was a commercially motivated project. Upon renovation and sensing how unique this property is, the owner, textiles buyer Eleanor Jones, chose to commission a professional photo shoot by interiors photographer Alex James, to launch the sales marketing plan. Realising that there was limited draw to images of a basic and empty interior, Alex introduced Eleanor to me, to bring no.22 to life! The property was brought back to its former architectural glory by architect Rupert Wheeler of MacKenzie Wheeler. Upon completion, the refurbished house was an impressive yet basic shell, with no interior personality other than the beautifully restored stair handrail and the 1950s-themed bathrooms.
Clare Pascoe