Finding sanctuary

Louise Bradley has transformed her London townhouse into a peaceful urban retreat, with a seamless flow between indoors and out

- SERENA FOKSCHANER/KAREN WILSON

SHUTTERS

Echo the elegant design of the panelling

Drawing room

By removing the original hallway that led to two separate reception rooms, Louise created a much larger drawing room.

BUY THE KEY PIECES Hemingway L-shaped sofa, £10,950; Ravello side table, £3,995, both Louise Bradley. Mahi shelving unit, £380, Nkuku, is a budget alternative

Louise Bradley, an interior designer, lives here with her two miniature Dachshunds, Bebe and Ellie.

THE PROPERTY

A remodelled three-bedroom Regency townhouse in Chelsea,

bought in January 2015.

“As soon as I step inside my home I feel instantly peaceful and connected to nature ”

Finding the right property took Louise Bradley almost three years of house hunting. ‘There was something wrong with everything I looked at. It might be that the back of the house was too overlooked, or the drawing room was poorly positioned. In short, they were not the blank canvases a designer like me craves.’ Eventually Louise found a four-storey stucco-fronted townhouse in Chelsea 10 minutes from her design studio. ‘It sits at the end of two parallel terraced streets, but instead of being back to back with another property, the house looks out onto gardens and all the rear windows have views of tall trees and plants. Although I’m in the middle of town, the house has a tranquil feel, almost like being in the country.’