Conservation PIECE

Design editor Emilio Pimentel-Reid has artfully combined the very best of old and new in his beautifully restored Regency apartment in Bath

- SERENA FOKSCHANER

The 1960s sofas have been reupholstered in Romo Oatmeal linen underneath, with a slip cover in York Stripe by British brand Fermoie. Emilio likes to change the covers seasonally. A 19th-century English chair has been given a fresh look with ticking fabric. The Shogun floor lamp is by Mario Botta for Memphis.

The influence of good mentors can last a lifetime, as Emilio Pimentel- Reid will tell you. The design editor has had some of the best. From his earliest employer, Calvin Klein, he absorbed the virtues of minimalism, while a stint with the late fashion designer and antiques lover Oscar de la Renta immersed him in colour and pattern. This led to working at Nest, a ‘rarefied’ interiors magazine in New York, where office decor included a floor-to-ceiling Mark Rothko and Aesthetic Movement ceramics and furniture, mixed with pieces from Maison Jansen. All this, he reflects, gave him the confidence to combine ‘the best I can afford’ of old and new.