What’s WOWed Us At WOW!House 2024?
By
4 months ago
Prepare to gasp at this fantasy home – or take copious notes for your own
There are 19 mouthwatering rooms and outdoor spaces at WOW!House 2024, and each one will have your knees knocking with envy. These are the rooms designs we’re aching to replicate at home.
These Are Our WOW!House 2024 Highlights
Zoffany Entrance Hall by Benedict Foley
What a first impression Benedict Foley’s Italian palazzo entrance makes. The designer paired up with Zoffany and as soon as you cross the threshold (which marks the open of WOW!House), you’ll fall a bit in love with the oh-so-touchable textiles that clothe the walls. The ‘Long Gallery’ brocade curtain, which rings the room, practically begs for contact. After WOW!House ends, all furnishings and textiles will be gifted to a QEST craftspeople to reimagine for Sanderson Design Group’s new HQ in Chiswick.
Jamb London Primary Bedroom by Charlotte Freemantle and Will Fisher
The primary bedroom is dreamy. Or it invites dreams, anyway – the centrepiece of this room, by Jamb London directors Charlotte Freemantle and Will Fisher, is a four-poster bed (‘Palmira’) skirted with trailing pleated linen. This bunk is a modern reproduction from an 18th-century Chippendale model, and speaks to Jamb’s skill in pulling pieces from the past. There is something eminently romantic about the paisley and pink room with all its nook, crannies and antiques.
Colefax & Fowler Morning Room By Lucy Hammond Giles
Lucy Hammond Giles’ morning room asks you to sun yourself or read a broadsheet from the pretty wing chair (‘Lancaster’). Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s associate director sees the space as somewhere Virginia Woolf might sit, and we can certainly imagine penning a novel in this comfortable, relaxed interior. Fabrics will be donated to charity Fine Cell Work when WOW!House closes.
McKinnon & Harris Courtyard by Katharine Pooley
Tennis is interior designer Katharine Pooley’s family game. ‘Burton Court is my favourite tennis court to play on,’ she says, ‘and we are currently designing a grand and classic tennis pavilion for one of our projects; it seemed the perfect concept to bring to WOW!House.’
She’s brought the quintessentially British game to WOW!House, with outdoor performance furniture from McKinnon & Harris and a little tennis green. It’s a strikingly clean space, with clambering roses and – the showstopper – a vast ‘Dr Johnson’s’ umpire chair, towering above visitors and offering the perfect perch for photos.
Chase Erwin Library By Andrea Benedettini
Andrea Benedettini’s library has a charming backstory. The designer attended the English National Ballet School when he first moved to London, and as such the room is gently themed around Swan Lake. A hand painted wallcovering on the ceiling captures a gladed scene, and soft textiles by Chase Erwin plus well curated books by Ultimate Library make this a library-slash-bar you could sink into for the night.
Martin Moore Kitchen With Studio Vero
Studio Vero has picked a kitchen splashback that almost looks like marbled wagyu beef. This kitchen, featuring Martin Moore Kitchen’s cabinetry, employs a palette of green, terracotta and tobacco that’ll have your mouth watering; we think it’s the kind of space we’d chew the fat in, long after we’d finished prepping supper.
Visit WOW!House, from 4 June–4 July 2024 at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. For tickets, visit dcch.co.uk/wowhouse
All photographs by James McDonald.