A Strong Accent

French designer Olivier Gay rewrote the history of this formal London townhouse, using artistic licence to add a twist to the tale with colour, pattern and a mischievous sense of humour

- Jo Leevers

‘IT’S GOOD TO HAVE FUN, to play around a little in a house, non?’ Olivier Gay is a Frenchman with a mischievous sense of humour – and he’s given it free rein in this expansive west London property. It’s the home he designed for his good friends Kay and Alain Chablon. Kay is a native New Yorker and her husband is French, ‘So they wanted me to bring a bit of Paris into their new abode,’ explains Olivier. In fact, they entrusted him with completely remodelling the place while they were still working abroad. And, like The Cat in the Hat, while the couple were away, Olivier decided to introduce them to a whole new level of fun.

Step over the threshold of this formal redbrick and you enter a world of playful contrasts. A world where art becomes animated and model installations whirr and tinkle, where every room is an opportunity to add a witty aside – like the supersized cowboy and chief who shoot it out above the serious, steely kitchen. Or the wraparound library shelving with decoration that seems to be in one style, but then changes, gaining florid momentum as it progresses around the room. ‘So you start off thinking it’s as plain as Ikea, but as your eye travels around the room, it has become more Louis XV,’ Olivier says, smiling.