Tales of the unexpected

THE WORD eclectic is so overused when describing interiors that it has become a cliche. But sometimes only one word succinctly captures the feeling of a home and, in this instance, eclectic it must be. Judy Kleinman and her film and advertising director husband Daniel have lived in Notting Hill for six years. Explaining her decorative style, Judy says: "The overriding thing was that I didn't want anyone to be able to walk in and say, 'Oh, it's Victorian,' or 'It feels modern'."

New Zealand-born Judy spent some time as an advertising model for big-name clients such as Coke and Marks and Spencer, but turned to her big love, interior design, when her own house was completed. In the past year she has worked on a house for a banker and a film maker, a loft in Clerkenwell and film production offices.

"The first thing I think about is light, followed by colour," she says, explaining how her ideas evolve. Her own home, built in 1856, is tall, narrow and deep. The two main rooms on three of the four floors were knocked through to make the most of the available light. Using a delicious combination of paint colours, mostly from Paper and Paints, she has brought into focus much of the original architectural detail: ornate cornicing, ceiling roses and windows. Where the floorboards were good, she restored them; otherwise, reclaimed Victorian oak parquet was laid.

The half-basement gets the least light, so Judy introduced pale, reflective colours. Gaps between the floorboards were filled and sanded, then the boards were painted with layers of cream gloss to create a glasslike finish. The tone of the pale green walls changes colour as the light moves during the day from the front to the back of the building. At one end of the room is a small kitchen area; the rest of the space combines dining and relaxed lounging. A black marble Florence Knoll table is surrounded by ebonised and leather- upholstered American Sixties dining chairs bought from Themes and Variations.

Judy's flair for combining the unexpected includes a Charles Eames lounger and footstool, irreverently covered in fake tiger fur. The B and B Italia sofa, in its summer attire of cream canvas, is transformed with tan-coloured fake suede for the winter.

Mongolian lamb and sheepskins are thrown over the Ligne Roset lounge chair.

Only essentials are on display in the compact kitchen, with the microwave and fridge being hidden in an understairs pantry. An Italian marble mosaic floor was lovingly created over eight months by the Kleinmans and their friends. Each made their own interpretation of a long-necked bird, which Judy laboriously joined together in swirls of buff-coloured mosaic. A silk-and-gilt Chinese tapestry hangs above the state-of-the-art industrial stainless-steel cooker.

Two broken-glass chandeliers dominate the ground-floor drawing room and study. They were commissioned 15 years ago from sculptor Deborah Thomas and are assembled from shards of blue glass from mineral water bottles and clear glass from soft-drinks bottles. Judy designed the crescent-shaped handles in cast glass on the large padded doors: one side is silk, the other fake suede.

Fake fur makes another appearance and a George Smith armchair is covered in Le Lievre brocade.

Daniel's collection of bird and animal skulls and bones can be found among the books and ornaments displayed in a chemist's shop cabinet, a market find.

The master bedroom suite has a parquet floor and a colonial-style embossed grid ceiling installed by Judy. "You lie in bed staring at the ceiling. It makes it more interesting, and reminds me of being in New Zealand." In the dressing room, a chrome-plated Seventies "sputnik" light contrasts with the distressed antique French wrought- iron "campaign" bed. The pair of fanciful cupboards, designed by Milka Jvestica (who was also responsible for the kitchen joinery), were painted by Timna Wollard, loosely in the style of the landscape artist Claude.

"They were a compromise," explains Judy. "Daniel wanted antique free-standing cupboards, and I didn't, as you can't fit anything in." They are yet another example of Judy's deft ability to mix the old with the new to create a very individual home.

Extracted from London Interiors by Jane Edwards (Taschen 24.99). Homes & Property readers can buy the book for 19.99, including postage and packing, by calling the order line on 01476 541007 with their credit card details and quoting "Evening Standard offer".

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