Tour a tall, narrow townhouse that creates cohesion between its many floors

The designer Lara Bates is so versatile in her ability to work with many different house design styles that her studio, Lara et al, has picked up commissions from places as far apart as Florida and Folkestone. But the one through line is that her homes are always grand yet inviting, impressive, but relaxing.

‘I’d like to think my schemes are elegant, calm and welcoming, aspirational but still comfortable,’ she says. These are all words that easily describe the interior design style of her latest project, a five-floor, mid-terrace townhouse in London (it officially has four bedrooms, but one has been repurposed as a playroom).

‘I was listening to the family tell me they wanted a home to be proud of, and one they could entertain in. They’re young and not very traditional, but I got the sense they wanted to impress, so my mood board quickly became about sumptuous materials, jewel colors, plenty of pattern, and the idea that more is more – a real sense of theatre,’ says Lara.

With such a tall building split over many levels, and with so many exciting patterns going on, the dining room and cloakroom stand out as especially decorative and dynamic. The difficulty for Lara was in making a home that felt cohesive. ‘The half landings were particularly tricky,’ she says. ‘I just tried to use color to connect them to the other rooms, and that ended up being what unified the house.’

She’s talking partly about the terracotta carpet that snakes up the stairs, running between spaces like the sitting room on the ground level and the main bedroom above. ‘I like that it’s a two-tone carpet, not a solid color,’ she says of the burnt-orange flecks within it. ‘It’s better from a practical point of view, of course, hiding dirt, but it softens the hue too.’

Just as successful is the way she has painted the skirting boards in unexpected colors to suit the rooms they’re in – there is no standard white eggshell here. ‘The devil is in the details,’ she says. ‘And it’s those moments that elevate the spaces. Those little touches that aren’t gaudy, nor traditional, but fresh and sophisticated.’

In their child's bedroom, powder blue skirting and cornicing are paired with buttery yellow walls. Downstairs, the cloakroom boasts a red-tinged brown wood trim against a floral wallpaper. The standout mural in the dining room is flanked by green skirting and sky-blue cornicing, matching the tropical garden motif.

‘We did look at having paneling, but that would have chopped up the wall. Instead, having green woodwork at the bottom of the mural and blue on the ceiling meant that your focus on the pattern wasn’t broken, and the wallpaper was the hero,’ says Lara. ‘And then, because we were embracing the idea of more is more, the crystal chandelier didn’t break your view of the motif, but added some sparkle and a sense of fun.’

Lara used many tricks to ensure that sense of plush luxury throughout. ‘We went for the biggest bed possible,’ she says of the impressive emperor-sized four-poster in the main bedroom.

Elsewhere, the vanity in the couple’s bathroom is topped with 15-centimeter-thick marble. ‘If you just use stone as a horizontal surface, then you don’t see it until you’re on top of it,’ says Lara. ‘Plus, this depth handily hides the undermounted basins.’

When it came to keeping the living room cocooning and enveloping and, yes, sumptuous, Lara wanted to hide the TV as much as possible. Tucking it into an alcove on the T-shaped layout, hanging it low on the wall, and placing a much bigger artwork opposite detracted from it as much as possible. ‘The dark painting above the sofa provided a real contrast,’ says Lara. ‘And an opportunity for a different focus.’

The whole home is a trove of treasures to pull your focus, to revel in the theatre of how exciting good design can be, and a masterclass in using color in ways to delight and entertain.

Meet the designer

Lara Bates shares her style inspiration

What small change would you suggest for a huge impact?
A fresh lick of paint.

Go-to color?
Green - always!

Describe your style in three words.
Elegant, textured, calm

A great museum to visit?
The V&A in London – the temporary exhibitions are always really interesting.

Finish the sentence, 'Home makes me feel...'
Relaxed, because of the palette and fabric – for me, a home is made by what you surround yourself with.

The last thing you bought for your home?
A console carved out of wood that might end up in my hallway.