A sense of grandeur in Kuwaiti villa

Louise Bradley’s showroom in London’s Chelsea is a haven of elegance and tranquillity in the midst of bustling boutiques and busy pavement cafés. After wandering through the showroom and being impressed by her understated yet glamorous interiors, an eminent Kuwaiti couple were prompted to commission Louise’s studio to design their stunning new-build home in Kuwait.

Their property is a beautiful five-bedroom detached villa spread over two floors and an immense 17,000 square feet. Louise says that having such a massive blank canvas to work on was a tremendous opportunity for her to create a truly stunning interior, but presented some challenges. “In such a large property, I wanted to ensure that each space was well thought out, creating an intimate feel in every area and flowing well into the next. By using different textures, colours and detailing – such as the laser-cut screens as room dividers, which are actually my favourite element of the house – we have created interesting contrasts throughout the property without creating a sense of enclosure.”

While Louise was given free rein to conceive her design, she spent many hours with her clients, finding out about their lifestyle and expectations for the house. “They are a well-travelled couple with a grown-up family who wanted relaxing and functional living areas for friends and family as they often entertain. They also needed a more formal area for socialising,” she says. “They wanted a home that exuded a wow factor.”

To achieve a show-stopping interior, Louise developed a scheme that works well with the architecture of the property. It has an imposing, linear structure that is centred around an internal courtyard and swimming pool. Its contemporary style maximises the use of light with large windows and clean lines, but Louise knew that she needed to soften the space to make a comfortable and inviting home. “I wanted to create different moods throughout the property, yet keep it instantaneously composed,” she says. “A lot of time was spent fashioning colour schemes; I have used light colours in some areas and wherever I wanted to encourage a cosy feel, the colours are darker.”

She designed bespoke pieces of furniture, using a combination of a pared-down, contemporary style with some extravagant statement pieces, allowing the villa to retain a spacious and relaxed atmosphere without losing any of its impressiveness. In addition, the lamps, cushions and accessories are all from her own accessories collection. A vital element of the design is actually the least visible – an impeccable high-tech functionality. Beneath the sophisticated glamour and grandeur is an advanced smart home system, rendering the property not only beautiful, but also highly practical, too.

So does this project represent the trademark Louise Bradley look? “My style obviously influences the work that I do for clients and is interpreted as ‘the Louise Bradley style’ in my design studio,” she says. “But of course we vary the look of each project to suit the client’s brief, location and architectural style. I own a property in London that is more urban in feel and a property in the country that has a very cosy atmosphere, with open fireplaces and antiques mixed with my contemporary pieces of furniture. I think the important thing for any interior designer is to listen to what the client wants and then interpret that in the best way possible.”