Designers are frequently asked to brighten up dingy homes, so the opportunity to create a dark, moody vibe tends to be rare. That’s why Antonio Montilla jumped at the chance to renovate a small east London apartment for his best friend, who favors the warmth and drama of deep, rich colors. “He really loves spaces that are very intimate, very cozy, and very dark,” Antonio says. “Compared to your normal client, who would like everything airy and light, he’s completely the opposite.”
The 720-square-foot abode overlooks Regent’s Canal, so Antonio mimicked the water’s earthy green hue on the walls with Bancha by Farrow & Ball to forge a connection with the iconic locale. “You see the canal from absolutely every single part of the flat, so [the paint color] was almost like this perfect bonding between the exterior and the indoor space,” he explains.
Antonio then used glossy black Marazzi tiles to build out the interior architecture. Two rows of the glazed rectangles, laid vertically, line the perimeter of the apartment for a striking baseboard feature. In certain spots, the tiles, laid horizontally, rise further up the wall to delineate distinct areas, like in the office and bathroom, or extend three-dimensionally to add function, like in the kitchen island and with the dining bench. “I really like to be able to fulfill the needs of my clients through the architectural shell,” he shares.
The combination of the deep olive paint and shiny black tiles, along with the white oak millwork that’s used on the kitchen cabinets and headboard, gives the home a boutique hotel feel. Antonio wanted to bring this sense of hospitality to the project as a nod to his full-time job designing luxury restaurants, hotels, and retail spaces at IDL Group. Smaller-scale residential work, such as this, is his creative outlet.
