Newberry Avenue (2009)
Set to the back of a quiet cul-de-sac, the exterior of the house is distinctly London-esque in flavour; think of Chelsea Green or a mews in Notting Hill. But it is the interior that truly conveys Zwiegelaar’s passion for all things European. A statement reinforced by the astonishing two-and-a-half years it took him to finish the property, trawling the markets, antiques shops and warehouses of Paris and L’Isle sur la Sorgue in the south of France to find the unique, the fresh and the different. Colour inspiration, however, originated closer to home. To the back of the property, the garden drops away into a shallow gully, dominated by lush dark-green foliage and trees reaching above and beyond the upstairs bedrooms. It was this scene that drove Zwiegelaar’s colour scheme, as well as his use of French doors instead of windows throughout the house to maximise the view. ‘The intensity of the green is an essential part of this story,’ he explains, ‘and the reason why I chose such a monochrome range of greys and soft greens for the interior.’
It is a palette that perfectly offsets the designer’s of French finds, monastic 16th-century antiques, custom-designed pieces and glut enviably luxurious fabrics from Pierre Frey and de Le Cuona. The overall look is restrained yet infinitely elegant, something Zwiegelaar achieves through a tenacious need for quality.
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