Just steps away from Abbey Road in London's Maida Vale neighborhood, interior design studio Uncanny has created a sophisticated apartment that masterfully combines African art, vintage finds, contemporary touches, and carefully restored period elements. The two-bedroom residence, perched on the top floor of a Victorian mansion, serves as both a peaceful sanctuary and a showcase for its owner's passion for African art.
The project began five years before construction when the apartment's owner, a lawyer with a deep appreciation for African art, first approached Uncanny co-founders Églantine Sicat and Pauline Dellemotte. "We met at least five years before the project. She told us, 'I love your work, the day I have an apartment, I'll call you,'" recalls Sicat. "We thought it was just dinner politeness, but she actually called us back!" The owner, who collects African art and supports young talents seeking opportunities in the United Kingdom, wanted a living space that would properly showcase these works.
The apartment hadn't seen daylight for 45 years when the renovation began. Walls were patched with paper in places, electrical outlets no longer existed, and floors were uneven. Despite these challenges, the duo had complete creative freedom, with the owner's only initial preferences being beige tones, natural materials, textures, and raw finishes - expressing a taste for elegantly understated interiors. However, as the project progressed, the owner pushed for more adventurous choices. "Faced with our proposals, the owner herself pushed us: 'Yes, it's pretty, but what more can we do?'" The designers then explored different materials and bolder textures, incorporating raspberry and golden yellow fabrics and blue ceramics.
The living space seamlessly flows from the main room to the dining area, library, and kitchen, while two bedrooms are located at the rear in a more intimate nighttime zone. Uncanny designed custom furniture elements including bookshelves, storage solutions, and seating made from natural materials like wood and marble. The new oak parquet flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern using reclaimed planks, structures the layout and intuitively guides circulation throughout the apartment. The designers specifically chose aged, weathered wood ready to withstand the assaults of guests' heels and the family dog's claws, allowing it to develop patina over time rather than simply deteriorate.
The renovation included creating a library in the dining room and another in the bedroom, where a small bench was designed in front of the window - serving as both a daybed and personal reading nook next to French doors opening onto a small balcony overlooking the park. The master bedroom functions as an independent suite with a private bathroom featuring an island bathtub, terracotta tiles, and custom Carrara marble fixtures. Custom joinery conceals clever storage solutions while offering shelves to accommodate books and unique objects, from artisanal ceramics brought back from the Atlas Mountains to sculptures from the Amélie du Chalard gallery.
When the project began, the owner started with minimal artwork - just three pieces to integrate: a photograph by Lakin Ogunbanwo in the living room, a painting by Gbolahan Ayoola in the kitchen, and another by Dagmar Van Weeghel above the main bedroom bed. "At the moment when it came to furniture and styling, we asked 'What art pieces do you have, what objects? What do you want to display?' She answered 'Nothing, we're starting from zero.' And that's cool," smile the interior architects. As construction progressed, they witnessed their client's tastes evolve, including changing from gray marble for the bathroom to a final choice with purple veining.
Both bathrooms were designed differently to avoid predictable contemporary uniformity. The first features raw beige bejmats paired with white earthenware tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern, while the second is dressed in white marble mosaic with small black marble cabochons. This attention to diversity and eclecticism extends to furniture choices, including a somewhat statement brutalist metal chair in the bedroom paired with a geometric cherry wood suspension light, and a deep black-stained dining table accompanied by natural oak column stools and a 70s-style padded armchair in the living room dialoguing with an ancient, raw coffee table patinated by time.
The apartment showcases a refined eclecticism through its interplay of textures, where custom headboards complement wool bedside lamps, and heavily veined golden Carrara marble responds to rope lampshades. Raw materials mix with highly polished surfaces, Nordic style pieces blend with vintage finds. Uncanny sourced materials and furnishings from various locations: Maison de Vacances for cushions, Palatino for marble and ceramic tiles, Amélie du Chalard for artworks, Nordic furniture and key pieces from Tom Bogle in London, vintage lighting found on Etsy including Art Deco marble wall sconces contrasting with contemporary dining room suspensions, plus items from Morocco, Nigeria, and England.
"We brought many things from France because we naturally have an affection for French creators and artisans - it's what we try to bring to the United Kingdom. It's important to us and it's what makes our difference, our signature," explain the designers. The kitchen features custom light oak storage units with a golden Carrara marble countertop, displaying black and white photographs by Ojuolape Agbaje, ceramics from various sources including pieces sourced from Cape Town markets and Moroccan olive wood items.
By mixing different cultures and perspectives, something inspiring emerges from this apartment redesigned by Sicat and Dellemotte, where art finds its place naturally. The project demonstrates how thoughtful design can create a space that serves as both a peaceful refuge and a dynamic gallery, proving that contemporary living can successfully accommodate diverse artistic traditions while maintaining sophisticated aesthetic coherence.
