Located in a Victorian stucco terrace in Little Venice, Sera bought the 140 square metre apartment - combining two first floor flats into one - from DJ Mark Moore two years ago and she has just finished renovating and applying her sophisticated bohemian style. ‘It had a fantastic vibe with high ceilings and huge French windows that let in lots of light, but it was a typical bloke’s pad,’ she says. ‘I wanted to give it a sense of what it might be like to stumble into a series of Parisian Artist’s studios untouched since the thirties.’
Known for her romantic interiors, Sera turned the three-bedroom apartment into one: she reinstated the skirting boards, cornices and floorboards and removed most of the doors, to create a free flowing space where she can entertain her family and friends. Whilst simultaneously working on an interiors project in Amsterdam, Sera discovered some beautiful antique panels, which she had shipped over. ‘There was a delicacy in the craftsmanship and they had such charm and character, I immediately had a framework to work within,’ she says. Teamed with bare brick walls, reclaimed floorboards and black painted ceilings, they exude the wonderful faded grandeur that Sera wanted to evoke. ‘The dark ceiling grounds the space,’ she says. ‘And the bare brick and raw timber brings a rustic old world charm back into the building.’
Throughout the apartment sultry low level lighting – much of which Sera has designed - and fireplaces in each room contribute to the seductive atmosphere. ‘Overhead lighting is too harsh, lamps and candles create a beautiful, warm atmosphere,’ she says. ‘And I have to have working fires in each room. Firelight gives a romantic feel and I sprinkle frankincense and rose oils on the coals, so the apartment smells like a beautiful old Venetian church.’
Sumptuous furnishings from the new Sera of London, Les Folies collection and unusual antique pieces fill the space. These are beautifully surrounded by paintings inherited from Sera’s art dealer father, exotic bric a brac and a profusion of plants and greenery. ‘Plants bring the space to life and create dramatic shadows on the ceilings at night,’ she says. They give a feel of my home being in a more exotic location.’
