Godfrey Street II, Chelsea

Description

The whole caboodle

In the past Renaissance princes held homes like Godfrey Street II. Now London hosts a home, like those, with unrivalled opulence at every corner. Its every surface displaying art and artefacts from all across the world. Africa, India and Morocco pulse through prints and textiles, through hand carved furniture and rich colour. Head out into Kensington one of London’s classiest residents. Stroll the corridors of the V&A museum, sample Michelin starred delicacies in the outstanding local restaurants, or nip over to Harrods and begin a collection to rival this home’s.

Show and tell

Your hostess has homes all over the UK, and spends much of her time in the family seat, in Scotland. She’s travelled the globe and filled her London house with so many souvenirs that she regards it as her own miniature museum.

Everything under one roof

A coat of many colours, an antique kimono, rare silks and glimmering copper –it’s hard to believe this is London. Dine upon soft cushions amidst tapestries and panelled wood, lit by sunshine, or, come nightfall, by Moorish lanterns. The kitchen’s a curiosity shop of your desired appliances, and anglophiles will enjoy a visit to the downstairs cloakroom.

Upstairs, and the atmosphere changes entirely. Gone are the intense pigments and jostling canvases, and in their place there are three pale, airy bedrooms, furnished with just a handful of well-loved antiques. Both bathrooms are similarly paired back, and at the very top of the house there’s a roof terrace, with a few pieces of outdoor furniture, and of course, a sublime view.

Grand tour

Begin at the museums, so close that you can be peering into the vitrines while the rest of London’s still at breakfast, stroll to Kensington Gardens, or a charming café. Shoppers can choose between King’s Road, Kensington High Street and the glories of Knightsbridge, and when it comes to eating out, London’s tremendous selection of restaurants is just outside the front door. Or, the tube from South Kensington to Covent Garden takes twelve minutes.