Tyler & Lolly’s Modern Mews in London

Name: Tyler and Lolly Lux
Location: Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Size: 560 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years, rented

The morning of my photo shoot at Tyler and Lolly’s west London mews home, the couple were visited by an unexpected guest, in the form of a pigeon who somehow managed to fall down their chimney into the living room. “We woke up and could hear this strange flapping noise” Lolly told me when I arrived several hours later. “I ran upstairs and there were feathers everywhere. Tyler had to throw a blanket over the poor thing and put it out the window.”

Luckily, neither the home nor the pigeon sustained much damage, but it doesn’t surprise me that for someone as house proud as Lolly, this turn of events er, ruffled a few feathers (sorry, terrible). “Honestly, I spent all of yesterday cleaning for this!” she laughs.

It shows: Lolly and her husband Tyler live in one of the brightest, most pristine, and most spacious-feeling flats I’ve ever visited in London, despite the fact that, at 560 square feet, it’s really quite modest in size. Built originally as stables and carriages houses, the mews in their street were later converted to artists’ studios. This perhaps accounts for the huge skylights in the top floor, something you don’t come across in every mews in London.

The couple moved here three years ago, shortly after coming over from the States for Tyler’s work. Lolly, who previously worked as a project manager for an interior design firm, soon put her organizational skills to use at Anthropologie’s European headquarters, where she worked in merchandising. There’s a lot of Anthro in this home (well, who isn’t going to make use of that staff discount?), but it sits nicely next to flea market finds, IKEA basics, Scandinavian design classics and items brought over from favorite shops in the USA.

Tyler and Lolly love their flat and its location near Kensington high street, and plan to stay until they leave London. The process of transforming it from anonymous foreign rental into their ideal home abroad was the catalyst for another change of career: since these photos were taken, Lolly has left her former job and is currently studying interior design at a London college. Picturing her beautiful home, I’ve no doubt that she’ll make a success of her new field.

My Style: Classic clean lines with a hint of modernism. Mixing old and new.

Inspiration: French Flea markets, Scandinavian design, David Hicks, and the geometry of nature.

Favorite Element: We live in a Mews of converted artist studios. I love the flood of natural light the flat provides, and the open floor loft, which acts as a blank canvas to show off our taste.

Biggest Challenge: Working with a small space and restricted floor plan deamnds a keen eye for scale and proportion.

What Friends Say: It’s relaxing, clean, and bright, with a nod to a Scandinavian Ski chalet.

Biggest Embarrassment: I had a paint catastrophe while sealing the wax on our dining room table. Tyler was away on business, so I asked the owner of my paint supply shop if it was possible to purchase more paint outside of office hours. She sensed my urgency and arranged for a pick-up at her house after the shop had closed. Until Apartment Therapy, my husband had no idea that I went to the end of the Bakerloo Line to fix my DIY project gone wrong.

Proudest DIY: Our industrial bedside tables, an evolving project.

Biggest Indulgence: We love to collect maps and are particularly drawn to uncommon shapes and sizes. Finding frames for the treasures we discover is a tedious task — not for the weary at heart. As we are both keen on design and aesthetic we’ve been known to spend an afternoon or two critiquing mounts and frame finishes until we find picture perfect.

I love finding old prints and bringing them up-to-date with bold matte colors and clean minimalist frames. It’s like the high/low concept but on paper. Preservation framing doesn’t have to be a thing of the past; find what makes you happy, and push your creative limits with a bespoke framer.

Best Advice: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” –William Morris

Start with a strong neutral base, and layer in pattern and color pops gradually. Browse antique markets for unique finds. Challenge yourself to find a new purpose in ordinary items.

Dream Sources: Holly Hunt, Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler.

• Entry alcove: French Linen – Phoenix on Golborne
• Bedroom wall: Railings – Farrow & Ball

• Café Chairs + Table- Habitat
• Cushion covers- The White Company

• Zebra head – Anthropologie
• Entomology box – Deyrolles
• Chalk Board Paint – Annie Sloan Rain barrel- Anthropologie

• Curtains – Crate & Barrel
• Sand Dollar & Sea Fauna Print – The London Map Fair
• Bedding – Pottery Barn
• Nautical Flags – Phoenix on Golborne
• French utility drawers – Phoenix on Golborne
• Other Orbits Lamps – Anthropologie
• Ceramic Elephant Hook – Anthropologie

BATHROOM

• Edwardian pulls- Anthropologie (old)
• Soap set- Cowshed
• Round Tray- Brick Lane- Bric a Brac

• Egg Prints- The Portobello Print & Map Shop
• Photograph of Old Street- Brick Lane- Bric a Brac
• iPad Stand- TresPad Ashley Hicks
• Eiffel Chairs- Vertigo Interiors
• Painted Dining Table- French Linen-Annie Sloan (Ikea inspiration taken from
• Petersham Nurseries slate and hammered table tops.)
• French Apple Crates- Petersham Nurseries
• Blue Tray- Anthropologie
• Silver Picture Frame- Pottery Barn
• Candle Sticks- Robert Welsh / John Lewis
• Cupcake Stand- Anthropologie
• Chalkboard- Ikea
• Galvanized metal buckets- Pottery Barn

LIVING ROOM

• Curtains- Crate & Barrel
• Map of London- Folding Maps
• Map of Manhattan-The London Map Fair
• Slipper Chair- Graham & Green
• Faux fur stole throw- Helen Moore- Anthropologie
• Peacock rug- Shelley Hesse for Anthropologie
• Throw Pillows- Celerie Kemble for F.Schumacher
• GB Kidney Pillows- Barbara Coupe- Selfridges
• Architectural side stools- Ikea
• Sofa- Ikea
• Ammonite fossil- Souk in Marrakesh

Thanks, Tyler and Lolly!

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