Faded Glamour in the City by Pearl Lowe, published by CICO books (£25)
Photography by Kate Martin © CICO Books
See Inside the Home of North East Artist-Turned-Designer Susi Bellamy
In her new book, Faded Glamour in the City, designer Pearl Lowe explores romantic interiors perfect for urban living
In this extract, she steps inside the home of North East artist-turned-designer Susi Bellamy.
The West London home of designer and artist Susi Bellamy has proved to be the ideal canvas to showcase an exuberant mix of her wonderful textiles, wallpapers, homeware and art, curated to perfection with her expert eye and instinct for combining colour and pattern in the most unique and vibrant way.
These days, some of my main sources of inspiration are social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest, and it was the former that first brought Susi to my attention. I follow so many designers and antiques dealers that I’m always coming across amazing sellers and makers offering the most creative and superbly crafted items. I was immediately captivated by Susi’s beautiful collection of wallpapers, fabrics, cushions and lampshades.
Her designs are so interesting and original because they’re based on her own artworks as well as traditional marbling techniques, which are part of her design DNA after nearly a decade spent living and studying art in Florence.
The influence of those Tuscan years is plain to see, as the former fashion editor’s exquisite use of colour is rooted in the rich palette of Renaissance paintings and the frescoes of faded Italian palazzos. Her innovative patterns are all designed to be mixed and matched, and this is demonstrated so effectively within her own home.
^^ Walls in Green Blue by Farrow & Ball, a Christopher Farr rug and curtains in Romo’s Launay linen (in lavender and cranberry) set off Susi’s designs perfectly. Teal Marbled Velvet is seen on the mid-century chairs and footstool, Multi Plumes Velvet on the cushion and Blue Rose Marbled Velvet on the lampshade. The painting is one of Susi’s own pieces depicting the layering of landscape strata from her travels.
I was delighted when Susi agreed that we could include her Bayswater flat in this book – it’s such an inspiring example of faded glamour, as well as a wonderful lesson to all in how to combine colour and pattern, and juxtapose old and new. When I first walked in, I gasped, ‘Oh my god, it’s so beautiful!’ I thought the ceilings in our flat were high, but the front of her flat is double-height, which creates an incredible feeling of space.
The flat had been rented out for years, and when Susi decided to make it her pied à-terre towards the end of 2023, she asked the talented interior designer Pandora Taylor to collaborate with her on the decoration. Together they added the wall panelling to give the space a cosier feel. The lace café curtain hanging at the sitting-room window has a similar effect, breaking up the wide expanse of glass and bringing a soft, feminine touch, making a lovely contrast to the sumptuous full-length linen drapes. I love café curtains and snap up genuine French ones whenever I see them.
The large, curved living room, where Susi has combined soft greens, blues, mauves, pinks and reds with a mix of her plain, floral and marble-print textiles, is a glamorous space with a hint of 1950s elegance. There are interesting pieces to catch the eye and draw you in, including a gesso copy of a Michelangelo head, a huge rose-print sofa – a recent collaboration between Susi and George Smith – and a seamless assortment of antiques and artworks. When I visit homes like this, I inevitably wish my home was less cluttered – as an avid collector, I have a lot of stuff. I do try to sell, swap or change things around, but some of my treasures are just too precious to part with.
^^ Adjacent to the sitting area is the joyful dining space, with an extendable table from Jonathan Adler and a painting by David Denholm. The Cora chairs by Forwood Design have been painted in Bamboozle by Farrow & Ball, with green-striped seat covers by Ian Mankin.
^^ The Emma sofa from George Smith is covered in Susi’s beautiful Blue Rose Marbled Velvet. Susi loves mixing modern abstract art with more traditional pieces. Her shell painting and the unknown nude above were framed by Franceschi Cornici in Florence, Italy. Reid Framing made the pair of mirrors from gilded bamboo moulding.
Something I think is so important when decorating a home is the flow from room to room. I’m always aware of the view through a doorway to the space beyond; you’ve got to consider the flooring and the colours on the walls and ask yourself if they are going to work together. They don’t have to match – it’s often more interesting when they don’t – but they need to entice the eye and not jar with each other. This can often be achieved with a repeated pattern, motif or colour, and Susi has mastered the approach. Looking through to the kitchen from her joyful dining area, with its soft green walls, orange-painted bamboo chairs and red scallop trim framing the rug and doorway, the dusky pink cabinets echo the warm tones of the dining table and the hints of pink in the painting, while the green-and-red-veined marble worktop, juxtaposed with a marble-print curtain, mirror the greens, reds and orange.
In Susi’s bedroom, the walls and doors are painted an uplifting shade of yellow, setting off the luxurious caramel tones of the bedspread, and the upholstered headboard and cushion in Susi’s Yellow Stripy Rose and Saffron Plumes velvets.
^^ The bespoke headboard from R C Dey & Son is upholstered in Susi’s Yellow Stripy Rose Velvet and the bedspread is made from her Wheat Veneer Velvet. The cushions are in Aqua Velvet and Saffron Plumes Velvet, while the lampshades are Multi Plumes Linen. The pictures have a pleasing symmetry – above right is a portrait of Susi’s mother by her uncle. One of Susi’s most treasured possessions is the Yellow Cranes box, which was made out of card by her friend Ann Hepper.
Sudbury Yellow by Farrow & Ball was chosen for the walls in the master bedroom, with the woodwork/trim painted in Dorset Cream.
Not many people put yellow in a bedroom and I love how Susi has mixed it with blue; the effect is so calming. The Yellow Stripy Rose design also features in the en-suite bathroom.
In the hall beyond, the yellow is repeated in the wonderful Dahlia Plumes wallpaper, with the reverse of the door painted in a deep magenta picked out from the design. There are other original touches such as inserting sections of wallpaper into the wall panelling to soften it, which really elevate the effect from the generic. I love going into places and thinking, ‘How clever! I never would have thought of that but it really works.’ This is definitely one of those homes. It’s gorgeous and it makes you smile.
