Tour a Rare 1912 Edwardian Manse in London That’s Been Completely Transformed
The early months of 2020 led Julien Dufour and Edouard Schuler-Voith to make some crucial decisions. The couple had been living between Paris and New York, often spending weeks apart because of work obligations. “When COVID hit, we realized we didn’t want to live that way anymore; it was time for us to start a family,” says Schuler-Voith, who was Sotheby’s chief data officer at the time. “We knew we wanted to live in Europe and very quickly agreed on London.”
Their search for a new home began online, and after scrolling through countless photos and floor plans, they made a list of properties to visit as soon as they could fly to England. At the very top of that list was an Edwardian town house in Marylebone. It had more space than they needed, but the floor-to-ceiling French windows and untouched century-old details seemed like a rare find. When they finally saw it in person later that year, it exceeded their expectations. The 1912 construction had an abundance of natural light and was full of rich yet restrained details, like delicately ornamented ceiling moldings and cast-iron balconies.
Soon enough they had the keys to the 8,000-square-foot home. “It was so unique, we felt it was worth going on this big adventure,” says Dufour, vice president at The Independents, the global group that owns Karla Otto, Bureau Betak, and other influential creative agencies. “We were quite aligned from the start and started discussing what we imagined in each of these rooms, bouncing ideas off each other and pushing each other further.” One of their main goals was to use almost exclusively vintage and antique pieces (including several family heirlooms) and to “not create new things” while also preserving “the identity of this very old house,” says Schuler-Voith.
They took that self-imposed mandate quite seriously. During the property’s gut renovation by London Projects, they asked to save and restore nearly every floor plank and wall tile that was taken down. As for the interior design, they used a handful of beloved pieces of furniture as lodestars. In the breakfast room, a space with ample bay windows facing the back garden, it all started with a rolled-arm sofa that had belonged to Dufour’s grandmother and was upholstered in a Pierre Frey floral fabric with scarlet, coral, and green hues. To complement its style and palette, the couple chose a forest green de Gournay wallpaper that featured herons and butterflies. Then they brought the room into the 21st century with a geometric painting in ombré coral shades by contemporary artist Alex Israel.
Decorating a six-story home using an existing collection of furniture and art—and making it look not only harmonious but also nuanced and modern—was no small feat. “It was super interesting to work that way,” says Dufour of their idea to start with one special item and go from there. “That room with the flashy wallpaper took me a few days to get used to, but now it’s become my favorite.”
A similar process led to the blue and gold media room, which began with a set of 12 gilded paintings by Sun Cheng’en bought at auction long ago. “We started collecting over the years, knowing that someday we would build our dream house,” adds Dufour. “There are a lot of memories here already.” And they are certainly creating news ones. They recently welcomed their first child, Theodore. This was a milestone that motivated Schuler-Voith to leave the corporate world and become a stay-at-home dad. “We took risks and discovered ourselves in this process,” he says, summing up their new home—and new life.
Art: © Alex Israel/Gagosian. Jonas Wood.1/19A walnut settee by 20th-century Italian designer Ico Parisi, a painted aluminum pendant by Angelo Lelli (another influential Italian designer), and a contemporary self-portrait by American artist Alex Israel add vibrant color to the main hallway.
Art: Michael Krebber/Greene Naftali, New York2/19Edouard Schuler-Voith and Julien Dufour in their new London home, a six-story Edwardian townhouse from the early 1900s. The couple worked with London Projects to restore the space’s turn-of-the-century details.
3/19“We’ve been collecting furniture and art throughout the years,” says Dufour, vice president at the global creative agency The Independents. “We already had 90% of the furniture, if not more, and that dictated the theme of each room.” The main salon is furnished with a glass coffee table by Pietro Chiesa, two Gio Ponti wood stools, and a rare tubular floor lamp by Gino Sarfatti.
4/19An imposing chandelier by Gio Ponti set the midcentury tone of the room.
Art: © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, and Corvi-Mora, London5/19Mustard and burgundy hues create a cozy yet bold atmosphere in the library, where the initial piece was a large 1960s Joe Colombo bookcase in ash veneer wood. The inspiration for the bookshelves—which are some of the few pieces that were custom made for the house—was the library at Villa Karma, a Swiss estate designed by Adolf Loos.
6/19Another section of the library features a rare 1949 Peder Moos chair in mahogany and a Joe Colombo table with metal legs. The red egg-shaped ceramic table lamp (called Uovo Orizzontale) is by Cesare Casati.
Art: Jana Euler/Greene Naftali, New York7/19“The dining room table belonged to my grandma. We restored it and used it with more contemporary chairs,” says Dufour of the oval table and the curved chairs by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina Dudet. Above the credenza is a painting by contemporary artist Jana Euler. The couple has worked with the arts consultancy Art Bureau for some time.
8/19In the breakfast room, a rolled-arm sofa that had belonged to Dufour’s grandmother was upholstered in a Pierre Frey floral fabric. To complement its style and palette, the couple chose a forest green de Gournay wallpaper and brought the room into the 21st century with a geometric painting by contemporary artist Alex Israel.
9/19The basement kitchen’s main piece is a rare Poul Henningsen copper pendant from 1936, seen above the breakfast table. The wall tiles are original to the house.
10/19In this blue and pink powder room, Carlo Scarpa mirrors are paired with Pierre Frey wallpaper.
11/19“The panels fit perfectly in this room,” says Schuler-Voith, speaking of the 12 paintings by Sun Cheng’en. They chose the teal color for the walls and gold for the ornamented ceiling.
12/19A pair of Gio Ponti illuminated bedside tables can be seen in the primary bedroom.
Art: Ella Kruglyanskaya13/19The spacious dressing room in the primary suite features a walnut daybed, designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni in 1950. The amber-glass-and-metal pendant is by Poul Henningsen.
Art: Santiago Evans Canales/Galerie Derouillon, Paris14/19In the marbled primary bathroom, a painting by contemporary artist Santiago Evans Canales can be seen. It was acquired at Galerie Derouillon.
15/19In a guest room, a unique headboard with bedside tables and reading lights takes center stage. It was designed in 1958 by Sergio Conti.
16/19A marble clad guest bathroom.
17/19Another bedroom has a distinctly serene atmosphere.
18/19In the garden, blue aluminum tables and chairs from Tectona’s 1800 collection.
19/19The couple with their son, Theodore, in the garden.
