James Arkoulis doesn’t take no for an answer, at least not in matters regarding his home. When the London-based interior designer and cofounder of interior design studio Howark Design couldn’t find a bathtub to his satisfaction, he decided to design one himself, lying supine day after day in an attempt to paint on the perfect floral details. The bathtub, of course, is merely a metaphor for his mind. He admits he never tires of reinventing, as was the case during the remodel of his and his husband’s West London home, which he helmed himself alongside Howark Design cofounder Saskia Howard.
Ask him what drew the couple to the home in the first place and James explains that it was its perfect Edwardian hallmarks—and its perfectly blank canvas. “Most of the spaces were completely white and plain, with no decoration at all, so it was up to us to inject some personality,” he explains. Personality, of course, was something he had in spades, and he saw it as an opportunity to channel his colorful Greek heritage, as well as his husband Stuart’s glorious green thumb (Stuart is a professional landscape designer). “We wanted to create a little world of our own where eclectic treasures collected over the years could coexist in harmony,” notes James.
Speaking of coexisting, it’s no coincidence that the home balances old and new with elan. “It was important to remain true to the home’s Edwardian past while making the space distinctly our own,” says James, who retained many of the home’s historic hallmarks, including the encaustic tiles at the entrance and fireplaces, which he and Saskia reincarnated in bolder, brighter forms. “The color palette was very much dictated by the light and orientation of the home, and we attempted many swatches to find tones that would be nice throughout the day and into the evening,” avers Saskia. James admits they might have taken the exercise a little too far in the living and dining rooms, which required thirty rounds of color testing and six coats of paint to arrive at the perfect warm olive (the latter exercise was undertaken by Stuart, who may or may not have regretted volunteering for said activity). “It was a real labor of love!” muses James.
