HOME WITH A SOUL

The childrenswear designer Celia Muñoz takes an eclectic approach to decorating the Georgian house in Hampstead that she shares with her husband and five children

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Celia Muñoz's love affair with London began in the most ordinary way, when, like many other young Spaniards, she decided to spend a few months there improving her English.

Back then, as she took on shifts as a sales assistant at Harrods, she never imagined that she'd settle in the capital for good, forge a career as a childrenswear designer and offer her own brand, La Coqueta, in the famous department store.

But those aren't the only surprises the city had in store for her. It’s also where she met her husband, the financier Caspar Berendsen, and welcomed their five children: daughters Flavia and Siena and sons Lucas, Bosco and Hugo.

Looking back, Celia says she has her brood to thank for launching her career. While scouring the shops for boys' and girls' outfits, she realised how much she missed the classic charm of Spanish children's clothes.

So she created La Coqueta, whose designs centre on traditional details such as sailor collars and honeycomb smocking.

It has proved irresistible to cool mummies, including the Princess of Wales, who has acquired several items for the little Waleses, and the actress Keira Knightley.

In line with her timeless aesthetic, the designer's London home is a Georgian gem in historic Hampstead. If it looks familiar, that's because two centuries ago, it caught the eye of Britain's most famous landscape artist, John Constable, who captured it in his painting The Grove.

Naturally, this beautiful spot has provided Celia, too, with plenty of inspiration, and she has lavished her talents on its interior, as we saw when she invited us inside.