Style File: Olivia Outred
As pedigrees go, it is hard to top Olivia Outred’s professional progression. Before setting up on her own in 2014, she took a degree in interior and spatial design at Chelsea College of Arts, worked under Philip Hooper at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler and headed up the interior-design side of Lulu Lytle’s Soane. Olivia brings a fresh, imaginative and modern eye to classic English decorating – be it the chicest of offices or colourful homes. All the essential ingredients are there for creating smart, interesting and inviting spaces – good art and antiques, and a sophisticated layering of fabrics and patterns. She is particularly skilled at injecting unexpected elements, such as jolts of colour, and a joyfulness that can knock the sense of stuffiness out of an interior. This is a designer who is going places and we look forward to seeing what she does next.
Paul Massey1/18A colourful, comfortable London flat
The combined creative talents of designers Olivia Outred and Lulu Lytle have transformed a dark London flat into a bright and colourful home with characterful country-house elements. The Persian Ziegler Mahal rug is from Gallery Yacou. A vintage Indian fabric was used to upholster a Robert Kime ottoman. Soane’s brass ‘Shark’s Tooth Mirror’ was made bespoke in an extra-large size.
See the rest of the flat here
Paul Massey2/18A colourful, comfortable London flat
In the kitchens, the walls are painted in ‘Jonquil’ by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. A reed and leather woven Tuareg mat from Morocco adds geometric pattern. The fabric gathered inside the cabinet doors is ‘Green Antelope’ cotton by Brigitte Singh from Aleta. Soane’s ‘Gallery Chairs’, brought from the owner’s previous house, were given new loose covers in white linen. A gilt-framed ‘Circular Hand Beaten Mirror’, also from Soane, fills the space above the turquoise-tiled chimneypiece.
See the rest of the flat here
Paul Massey3/18A colourful, comfortable London flat
In the main bedroom, Farrow & Ball’s ‘Drag’ wallpaper in colourway 1252 is similar in hue to Claremont’s ‘Antique Serge’ linen, which was used to upholster the banquette by the window. It also picks up on the muted green tones of ‘Dandelion Clock (Faded)’, a patterned linen fabric from Robert Kime, used for the curtains and headboard. The flat’s owner bought the blue-painted antique chest of drawers from Brownrigg in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. The blue glass lamp base is one of a pair from the London-based dealer Christopher Butterworth.
See the rest of the flat here
Paul Massey4/18A colourful, comfortable London flat
In the bathroom, the walls are painted in ‘Duck Egg’ by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. The palette was inspired by curtains in Robert Kime’s ‘Jardinieres’ cotton, which came with the flat.
See the rest of the flat here
5/18An office in Mayfair
In a Queen Anne townhouse in Mayfair once owned by James de Rothschild, Olivia designed this beautiful office for a creative client. In the boardroom, Olivia designed the desk, which was made from poured resin. A chandelier from Howe hangs over the table, and on the floor is a Moroccan rug from Emily's House. The doors lead onto a private terrace.
6/18An office in Mayfair
Within the office is the client's private study, complete with its original panelling and a Vietnamese seagrass rug that was sewn together in the room. The curtains were screen-printed by Cressida Bell and the shell lights in the windows are from Quindry.
7/18An office in Mayfair
Also in the office is a pleasant space for staff to gather, home to impromptu meetings, lunches and parties. The picture is by William Kentridge and the three pendants came from Thirteen Interiors at Alfie's Antiques Market.
8/18An office in Mayfair
Olivia and her client wanted to give a relaxed, informal feeling to the building; in the stairwell this was achieved with painted stairs, sisal rugs, a glamorous chandelier from Gallery 25 on the Pimlico Road, and Joss Graham's 'chik' blinds. Just out of sight are Moroccan rugs on the landings.
9/18An office in Mayfair
The client has a passion for wallpaper that Olivia made the most of in the bathrooms. Each loo has a different wallpaper; the gent's features Dupenny’s ’Time for Tea’, along with a bamboo mirror from an antiques market.
10/18A family house in north London
This is the morning room in a large house designed by Olivia, used for entertaining, relaxing and playing cards. In the far corner is a drinks cabinet made from a birdcage - a playful touch for an informal space. Olivia installed a bolection moulded chimneypiece to set off the beautiful panelling in the room.
11/18A family house in north London
In the same room, Olivia adapted the art deco cabinet to house a large printer and scanner, so that the room can function as a home office when needed.
12/18A house on Columbia Road
Olivia renovated this house on the Columbia Road in East London for a client who planned to rent it out. It was in such bad shape that there were mushrooms growing out of the floor. At the front of the house was a jewellery workshop that the studio converted into a flower shop. Total renovation of the building. The timber floor is reclaimed from around Norfolk.
13/18A house on Columbia Road
The courtyard was reinstated, it had been a bedroom, we hung old sash windows with mirrorplate on the walls to give the illusion of more space; all the plants are from the flower market.
14/18A house on Columbia Road
The client requested the arch in the hallway, which Olivia then added; she also painted the stairs in Paper & Paint's 'Pale Empire Green'.
15/18A house on Columbia Road
In the sitting room, which overlooks the hustle and bustle of the flower market, a chair from Robert Kime sits at a desk by Heerenhuis. The curtain fabric came from Volga Linen.
16/18A house on Columbia Road
Another view of the sitting room, with a blue chair from Pure White Lines on Shoreditch High Street and a small table from The Peanut Vendor; the flowers came from The Flower Appreciation Society. Olivia bought the Moroccan rug from Kate Guinness Design. The books are all ex-auction house catalogues.
17/18A house on Columbia Road
Because it's a rental it was important to have a practical kitchen, so Olivia had the stainless steel worktop custom made. The cheerful tiles are from Milagros, and all of the mugs, glasses and plants were picked up on the Columbia Road.
18/18A house on Columbia Road
The smaller of the bedrooms was affordably decorated with a bed frame from Dunelm and a high-quality mattress on top. The African cloth on the bed is from Tribalspace.
