A spacious two-bedroom garden apartment on Malvern Road. Situated between London Fields and De Beauvoir, this is one of Hackney’s most popular streets. The property is one of two homes occupying a brick built Victorian terraced house. 

Whilst living in the apartment, the owners carefully and cumulatively considered the interior decoration, choosing a historic colour palette alongside traditional joinery, designer soft furnishings and vintage pieces. 

The paints are from a collection created by Farrow and Ball in collaboration with The Natural History museum; the colours were derived from Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours, which was used by Darwin to identify colours on his journey on the HMS Beagle. 

On the front door of the building, Rose Uniacke’s ‘Frost’ complements the London brickwork and in the wide communal hallway, a sophisticated neutral ‘Ash Grey’ creates a light and airy introduction. The muted ‘Broccoli Brown’ of the apartment door boldly punctures the space. 

As well as commissioning bespoke joinery for the property, high quality ironmongery and electrical fittings have been chosen during the decoration process, including light switches and plug sockets from the Soho Lighting Company and solid brass door handles and window latches from the Ludlow Period House Shop.

The palatial sitting room has wooden floorboards and broad bay windows, which have been enhanced with new bespoke shutters. An iron fireplace, with a simple but elegant wooden surround, provides a period focal point. The paint scheme includes the deeply luxurious ‘Scotch Blue’ on the walls, whose regal tone is contrasted by the soft neutral ‘Ash Grey’ woodwork. The fitted bookshelves are lined with Morris & Co wallpaper, the colours of which were developed with the designer Ben Pentreath. 

In the kitchen, which has a view onto the garden, the style is utilitarian and playful, the colours nodding to mid-century interiors, yet still somewhat traditional. The fitted cabinets are a bold persimmon red, with an upstand clad in small, white, square tiles paired with a wooden work surface and a stainless steel sink. There is also an oven and gas hob of a high specification.

The large master bedroom is ‘drenched’ in an elegant deep green paint, contrasted beautifully with brass wall lights from Rose Uniacke. The fitted wardrobe has handles from Beata Heuman and the curtains are from Lewis & Wood. An original decorative ceiling rose, hung with a vintage chandelier, adds period charm. Adjoining the bedroom is the bathroom. It has a high specification bath, shower and basin, is painted in Farrow and Ball ‘Railings’ and fitted with a loo by John Derian for Designers Guild.

In the second bedroom, also used as a study, the owners have chosen striking ‘Dutch Orange’ as the wall colour. The window is framed in a Roman blind made with William Morris’s famous ‘Willow’ pattern in a modern red and green colourway, chosen by Ben Pentreath. This room has neutral Sisal flooring, a useful fitted wardrobe and a pretty vintage desk. 

The apartment is very fortunate to have a garden. It is accessed through the kitchen, leading onto a paved area and then to the lawn, edged with established shrubbery. There is a woven hurdle fence along the northern border and a traditional red brick wall along the eastern side. The owners have had the garden rejuvenated by Harry Holding, who has been featured in House and Garden, and the maintenance is now provided by Charlie and his team from Chase Gardens. 

Malvern Road is a short walk from London Fields, a popular urban green space with a lido and tennis courts. There are weekend markets at Broadway Market and nearby Victoria Park, selling British and artisan goods. The area is well known for its plethora of independent shops, restaurants and cafes, notably Frans, Pophams, Lardo and Cafe Cecilia. A short walk away is Netil Market, a hub of coffee shops, breweries and independent book shops. 

The property is close to three train stations: direct trains to Liverpool Street go from London Fields, Shoreditch High Street and beyond are reached from Haggerston and Hackney Central has direct services to Stratford and Highbury & Islington. Also, Bethnal Green Underground Station, quickly accessed by bus, has efficient links to Central London on the Central Line.