Maria Abou Khalife is a linguist who describes her home as having two styles – perhaps, like herself, it is multilingual. One style speaks to her sleek and minimalist side, influenced by the years she spent living in Copenhagen, the other style is full-on glamour, articulated with the help of interior designer Suzie McAdam. The glamorous drawing room is the room that sold the property to Maria. She describes it as a jewel box: “The detailed cornicing on the high ceiling is beautiful. It needed a complete overhaul, but the Victorian property had what we were looking for.” The couple, while reticent, could envisage the potential.
The room is painted in Farrow & Ball Calamine Pink now, with an impressive Il Pezzo Mancante chandelier at its centre and matching wall lights that contrast playfully with the traditional elements. It also features a distinctive stained glass window that they’re particularly pleased with. “We are the only house on the street with this bird design and we were told it had been a wedding present the original owner had received.”
