Green, Marble, and a Family's Story
PROJECTS
After fifteen years in their Grade II listed Arts and Crafts house, a South African family with a serious eye for design decided it was time for change. They brought in Andrea Benedettini for a full renovation, one that had to respect the house's heritage while making room for the family's life today, and for an art collection that includes Chagall lithographs and several significant collector's pieces.
The brief called for careful planning. A skylight was added to the TV room, the kitchen was reconfigured (a pantry cupboard was removed to reveal a window that had been hidden away), and a new powder room was introduced downstairs. Through it all, the original timber flooring stayed. Almost everything else is new.
The bathrooms are where the biggest transformation happened. Andrea used ancient Moroccan plaster throughout, including a tadelakt finish that runs seamlessly across shower walls and the tricky, angled ceilings upstairs. Samuel Heath's Landmark Pure fittings, in Country Bronze and Polished Nickel, complete the look.
In the living room, a bespoke bar anchors the space, hand-built by Andrea's artisans with marble, pocket doors, and bronze detailing. It's the kind of feature designed for entertaining, luxurious without trying too hard.
Marble runs through the whole house, and each choice feels deliberate. Dramatic stone in the powder room and fireplaces, green Calacatta in the kitchen, and quieter, softer marbles in the bathrooms, giving those spaces a more sanctuary-like feel.
Green appears throughout, a nod to the clients' favourite colour. It's most felt in the primary bedroom, where soft sage tones and mohair velvet armchairs make for the calmest room in the house.
Every piece of furniture and every fabric was chosen with intention. Linens, velvets, and richly textured materials shape the sofas and chairs, while antique pieces sourced from around the world were reupholstered and given new life. Japanese vessels and South African bracelets, displayed as sculptural objects, nod to the family's heritage and bring the whole home together.
The house hasn't lost its character. It's just been given room to show it off properly.
