Petite et chic

Amanda Grant and Kristian Dean's compact apartment encapsulates the essence of continental country house style

- KAREN DARLOW

Every picture, vintage chandelier and rustic confit pot tells a story in the elegant London home of Amanda Grant and her husband Kristian Dean. The inspiration for its eclectic European style can be traced back to Amanda's teenage years spent in Italy, and more than a decade of living and working in France for Kristian.

This two-bedroom flat in a converted Georgian townhouse is the smallest home the couple has ever owned and they have used the space to distil their understanding of simple European style to its very essence, filling each room with an artful continental elegance. 'We learnt to appreciate the French simplicity in interiors,' Amanda explains. Bare plaster walls and neutral paint shades were the perfect backdrop against which the couple could display their beautiful and meaningful things. With an old building, if the structure and the bones are right, then anything will look stunning inside it,' says Kristian.