Little gem

Small but beautifully formed, designer Christian Bense’s London apartment heralds a high-low approach that sparkles with original ideas and festive flourishes

- MARY WEAVER

The living room is styled with upholstered armchairs from Graham and Green with moss velvet cushions by Rose Uniacke, a sofa in Royal Fern brushed cotton from Sofa.com, an ottoman from Arlo & Jacob and the rug is from Nordic Knots. Design accents like the artwork is by Christian and the Copper chair is from Blu Dot, which is placed by the shelving unit from Moebe

Double louvre doors in the dining room allow more space for the dining table and are painted in shade Squid Ink from Paint & Paper Library. An accent demi-lune table by Scumble Goosie lends a pop of colour and is painted in shade Blazer from Farrow & Ball

Last year, interior designer Christian Bense and Matt Martin, who works in leisure retail, had just moved in to this fourth-floor apartment with views of the south London skyline with a few sticks of furniture so it was hardly cheerful. The appeal of the apartment was that it came with three bedrooms, so they could turn one into a dining room and still have a guest bedroom. “The joy of this 1950s, concrete-built apartment is that it’s solid and well-proportioned with generous-sized rooms, a long hall and windows all round,” says Christian.