Page 160 - home and garden

‘It’s great to work with another designer,’ William says.
‘It means we’re thinking in similar ways, though, of course,
Kim has huge areas of expertise that I don’t have. He was
an ideal client in that he was able to explain the feeling he
wanted to create in the space but didn’t dictate specifics,
such as what had to go where. At the same time, when I
suggested things, he would keep sending them back until
they were completely right.’
Kim has furnished the flat in a way that perfectly
complements William’s quietly austere design, with a
collection of pictures, ceramics and furniture that reveals
a deep interest in craftsmanship. The first things that
catch your eye in the sitting room are the powerfully sculp-
tural ploughshares, dug up from the fields around Kim’s
Hampshire farm and arranged on backlit shelves below
a ‘frieze’ of decorative cast-iron gratings. Arts and Crafts
furniture, outsize wood engravings by Julian Meredith
and contemporary ceramics testify to his love of the hand-
made, as does the beautifully dovetailed ladder in the
study, made for Kim by the sculptor Simon Thomas.
During our tour of the flat, William opens the fridge to
reveal his client’s culinary approach: it contains little other
than bottles of Champagne. ‘But living here I’ve no need
to cook,’ Kim protests. ‘There are so many great restaurants
nearby, and I’ve got Fortnum & Mason for a corner shop’

William Smalley: 020-7242 0028; williamsmalley.com

ANTICLOCKWISE FROM TOP A linen panel by Nicola Henley hangs at the end of the entrance hall. The kitchen’s all-white units and stainless-steel worktop and
sink are the ‘B3’ design from Bulthaup. Clean lines continue into the bathroom, which has taps from Vola and a matching bath and basin from Holloways of Ludlow

158 NOVEMBER 2015 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK