Colour realm

Striking shades, standout wallpapers and style classics

Amelia’s passion for interiors is partly professional. She and sister Charlotte Chappell – under the name Studio Denim – are waging a two-woman war against the tyranny of ‘shades of taupe and militant symmetry’.

‘My style is very un-designed,’ says Amelia. ‘I believe a home should reflect the people who live there. That doesn’t happen overnight. Houses evolve, people collect things as they go along – but it’s those pieces that really give a place its soul.’

Renovation of a terraced Victorian house

Words - Damon Dyson|Photography - Jeroen Van Der Spek|Styling - Mary Weaver

‘We do sometimes joke that we’re recreating a pub at home’. ‘My husband Iain [who owns The Imperial Arms in Fulham] would far rather have a snooker table than a dining table. He also wanted to install a beer tap in the kitchen, but I had to put my foot down.’

Amelia and Iain met when they were working for a chain of gastro pubs, which explains the bar-room elements that crop up in their south London home – from tin-tile wallpaper and cowhide bar stools in the kitchen to a vintage French Stella Artois glass panel.

The renovation which involved extending the kitchen out into the side return, took nearly a year, with a total revamp of the rest of the house following soon after.

The place feels eclectic and playful - a melange of styles, colours and eras, where vintage finds mingle with upcycled family heirlooms and show-stopping wallpapers.
Everything about this house is hard-wearing. Nothing is too pristine.

Despite being the perfect place for the children to express themselves, the sunlight-filled house swiftly converts into a stylish grown-up home. ‘The secret is big cupboards, a place for everything and a vast toy chest,’ Amelia says. ‘Thanks to acres of storage, this place is surprisingly easy to keep tidy.’

How would you define your style?

A mix of old and new, of contemporary with vintage pieces to bring a story together.

‘I spend a lot of work time at reclamation yards and antiques fair,’ says Amelia, citing Ardingly, Alfie’s Antiques and Retrouvious as favourites.

They're so inspiring. In fact, this house will probably never be finished because I'm constantly finding new things to add.
  • The Study

    This room at the rear of the house has a wide range of uses. By day, it's Amelia's work hub and in the evening, it becomes the family's TV room. 'It's a great room to work because there's lots of light,' says Amelia, 'but at night, you close the curtains and it's really cosy.' The wallpaper is Nathalie Lete's Foret Noire.


    Opposite a portrait of the Queen - Lightness of Being by Chris Levine hangs above the fireplace.

This Could be the Start of Something Beautiful