Interior of the residential module of the mansion designer Jonathan Reed in London

Passing the gallery

Text: Dmitry Kopylov, - (c) Sally Griffiths / Red Cover

A photo: - (c) Ken Hayden/Red Cover

Magazine: Na (taq) 2003

Among the few "poetic" ruins of the mid-nineteenth century, preserved in Chelsea’s London quarter, fashionable and successful designer Jonathan Reed chose the seemingly unpresentable ... Built in 1860, the gloomy four-storey mansion was once a profitable home. Then the hospital was located here, later - the Chelsea administration. Jonathan Reed was looking for a suitable room, where he planned to simultaneously accommodate the office of his company "Reed" (creative services) and his own housing. The horrific condition of the abandoned building led Reed in delight, very understandable to every architect. "I have never seen such magnificent measurements. My luck was that I could do whatever I wanted with the five square feet belonging to me." When planning a residential module, Jonathan Reed, as in his European, American or Japanese projects, gives a clear preference for studio architecture and design. Tall ceilings, as if a bright cloud floating above the whole space, softly and warmly "cover" the cozy home world of Reed, "lined" with fancifully shaped screens on small islands. The ring of fire, which is formed by three fireplaces, framed by metal polished to a mirror shine, is a kind of magical border, protecting and protecting the microcosm from the outside world. The compositional center of the apartment is the living room, separated by black walnut and bleached oak screens from the kitchen and small living room. Such a "floating" design is able in a few minutes to combine three symbolic blocks into a single space. The color scheme of furniture and walls, consisting of shades of brown, cream and khaki, harmoniously focuses on the light carpet. The third screen with the original author's application of metal and wood designates a sleeping “island” with mahogany furniture and a 19th century bed from Burma. The bathroom is emphasized ascetic. Reed left almost all of the bathroom space, ironically playing with the so-called state-style - space, a minimum of surplus, tall ceilings. The only decoration can be considered a metal grill from Aston Matthews. The organic merit of the whole composition, without a doubt, is designer furniture. Jonathan Reed himself regards his own project as a triumph: "Reed" has truly flourished here! "