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Design Luminary Faye Toogood’s Family-Friendly Minimalist Apartment

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Design Luminary Faye Toogood’s Family-Friendly Minimalist Apartment

June 2, 2020

Faye Toogood is arguably one of the most influential interior designers of our time. So when we noticed that her three-bedroom apartment in Hampshire was listed on The Modern House (the high-end, design-focused real estate company co-founded by her husband, Matt Gibberd), we knew we had to reach out for more information.

“I moved out of London with my family two years ago to have my twin daughters and to be closer to my parents. Buying this flat was an interim move before we committed to buying a family home outside of London,” Faye tells us of the 1,325-square-foot home, currently listed £645,000, that she shares with Matt.

With much of their furniture, art, and objects in storage, it was almost a necessity to go for a minimalist aesthetic: “I knew we would only be living here for a short period of time, so wanted to make it easy, functional, and practical to bring up three children in a smallish space. The minimalism suited this space,” she says. “And I have enjoyed living with fewer things.”

Describing her style as “evolving and not static,” Faye is now intent on finding “the house I want to live in for a very long time. Not a project—but a long-term home for my family.”

We can’t wait to see the evolution of her style. In the meantime, she walks us through all the bespoke and artful touches of her Hampshire apartment.

Photography by Taran Wilkhu, courtesy of The Modern House.

faye and matt&#8\2\17;s flat occupies the entire first floor of the victori 17
Above: Faye and Matt’s flat occupies the entire first floor of the Victorian house.
the entry leads to the living room, where one of faye&#8\2\17;s iconic piec 18
Above: The entry leads to the living room, where one of Faye’s iconic pieces, the Roly Poly Chair, in fiberglass, greets visitors.
faye and matt had the apartment gut renovated. &#8\2\20;it was occupied by  19
Above: Faye and Matt had the apartment gut-renovated. “It was occupied by a 90-year-old lady before us, so it looked completely different as you can imagine,” she says. Among the changes in the living room was the addition of the two tall glass doors leading to the patio. The mirror above the fireplace was designed by Faye.
the home is decorated with a mix of custom designs, contemporary pieces, and vi 20
Above: The home is decorated with a mix of custom designs, contemporary pieces, and vintage finds—like the Ercol sofa and the ’60s Swedish sconce above it.
&#8\2\20;this is an old english warming cabinet. it has an open back to it  21
Above: “This is an old English warming cabinet. It has an open back to it and would have been used in big country houses as a place to serve food. It now houses puzzles and art materials,” says Faye.
faye had the wall between the living room and kitchen removed so that it&#8 22
Above: Faye had the wall between the living room and kitchen removed so that it’s now one long open space. The cabinets on the left “hide a larder, a drinks cabinet, and all my ceramics and glassware.” An oversized Akari Noguchi light hangs in the kitchen. “The giant pendant is over-scaled to the room and I love that. From the outside of the house at night, all you can see are these two giant balls [there’s another one in her bedroom]—like moons—glowing from inside the house.”
the monumental sculptor&#8\2\17;s table is designed by faye. &#8\2\20;i 23
Above: The monumental Sculptor’s Table is designed by Faye. “It is made from solid oak and covered in layers of car paint and lacquer. It has almost a marbled top to it. It’s extremely heavy and took four men to lift all the parts in before it was assembled,” she says. “We do everything on the table: prepare food, eat, paint, make clay sculptures with the kids, entertain, and dance on it!”
a vintage italian pendant light hangs in the hallway. &#8\2\20;everything&# 24
Above: A vintage Italian pendant light hangs in the hallway. “Everything—everything—is painted in Cornforth White by Farrow & Ball,” says Faye. “I find it the perfect canvas for objects and art. It is a very easy color to live with.”
more noguchi pendants in the master bedroom, which features a french cast iron  25
Above: More Noguchi pendants in the master bedroom, which features a French cast-iron bathtub, found on eBay, in front of bay windows. There’s also an ensuite bathroom.
the floors are original the home; they were simply sanded and given two layers  26
Above: The floors are original the home; they were simply sanded and given two layers of Osmo pigmented white oil.
the twins&#8\2\17; room with cribs from ikea. 27
Above: The twins’ room with cribs from Ikea.
their older daughter&#8\2\17;s room with the perch bunk bed by oeuf. 28
Above: Their older daughter’s room with the Perch Bunk Bed by Oeuf.
the unlacquered brass faucets in the apartment&#8\2\17;s main bathroom are  29
Above: The unlacquered brass faucets in the apartment’s main bathroom are from Studio Ore.
&#8\2\20;this is our private courtyard, and we completely redid it when we  30
Above: “This is our private courtyard, and we completely redid it when we moved in with the help of my friends and garden designers Rich Landscapes. There is a lot of beautiful old York Stone and the herringbone brickwork took weeks!”

For more homes we’ve admired on The Modern House, see:

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