From Virginia Woolf’s writing lodge at Monk’s House to Henry Moore’s summer house in Perry Green, there is something inherently appealing about a garden studio, a room of one’s own in which to think and work. But it is not often that you find such an escape tucked behind a Victorian terrace in London.
‘We wanted to avoid the generic London garden room and instead create something that we’d genuinely enjoy seeing every day from our kitchen,’ says interior designer Laura King, as she leads us through her Richmond home and out to this charming timber-clad house in miniature. ‘We wanted the exterior to evoke a New England style,’ she adds, explaining that she has long admired the work of American architect Gil Schafer. While the vision was hers, the building was the handiwork of her husband Fred Martin-Dye, an automotive engineer and racing driver. ‘Aside from the final electrical and plumbing work, he did everything himself,’ says Laura. ‘My interior designs evolved alongside the build as we made decisions and refined the details together.’
Laura’s desk in the studio was an antique find on Ebay and the lampshade is from Compton Marbling. The curtains and blind are in a chintz from her own homeware brand Aurane London.
Elliot Sheppard
It has become Laura’s very own creative retreat. From the antique desk in the window – a proper sash left over from the main house – she runs Laura King Interiors and her homeware brand Aurane London. ‘It had always been an ambition to do something on my own, but I wanted to give myself time to build the experience and confidence first,’ she says. ‘By the time I decided to take the leap, the timing also marked a natural shift in my life,’ she adds, explaining that the birth of their daughter, Cecily, left her wanting greater flexibility and autonomy. After nine years at Todhunter Earle, where she worked on everything from yachts to country estates, and a further two at Salvesen Graham as head of design, she was more than ready, and the garden studio provided an excellent place to get started.
Furnished with antique finds and layered with glorious pattern and colour, it is an incredibly inspiring place to be. In fact, the chintz on the sofa bed (it doubles as a guest room), curtains and blinds, the assorted cushions, and the plates on the dresser are all Laura’s own designs for her brand Aurane London. Everything in the collection is hand-block-printed, woven or painted in India and Portugal, with a focus on sustainability. Alongside these are a few vintage finds that Laura collects on design trips, putting her degree in textiles and business studies to good use. More of her pieces have found their way into the main house, which feels like the studio’s older, slightly more sensible sister – but with the same country-in-the-city spirit.
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