Dutch Courage

- Joanna Simmons

As a child, did you ever dream about your future home? Pierrette Bentinck did. ‘I would say, “When I grow up and have a family, I’d like a house with a fireplace and cool art”,’ she says. ‘Now I have it! This is my grown-up home!’ Alongside the roaring fire and striking paintings, her London terrace boasts an exciting mix of pattern, colour, inherited pieces, contemporary furniture and cleverly upcycled finds. ‘I suppose you’d call it eclectic?’ says Pierrette, sounding unsure. ‘It’s not standard!’

As well as being a dream come true, this place is the happy result of a lifetime of collecting. ‘Whenever I go somewhere, I pick up things,’ she says. ‘I’ve been walking around with fabric swatches and wallpaper scraps for years. Here, I’ve had a chance to use them all.’ The house has also allowed her to display treasures that have been in storage. ‘I’ve had one painting for about 20 years,’ she says. ‘It’s been at Big Yellow the whole time!’