Interior designer Lisa-Marie Mosca on bringing Gatsby glamour to London in Sophia House
SOPHIA HOUSE, ELLERTON ROAD, WIMBLEDON, £6.95M
On a quiet private road bordering the Royal Wimbledon Golf Course, there’s a pocket of 1920s Parisian glamour. Opulent light fixtures and plush upholstery welcome prospective buyers to Sophia House, one of two six-bedroom family houses recently built by luxury developer Newcourt Residential. From the outside, it looks like any other large family house near Wimbledon Common, but in-house interior designer Lisa-Marie Mosca, along with her design partner Andrea Palmer, have scoured the globe for furnishings that will impress wealthy buyers interested in this south-west London suburb.
“The main inspiration came from a research trip to Paris exploring the Art Deco era,” says Mosca. “When I started the project, the Great Gatsby-style was coming back into fashion and the industry was hugely influenced by the aesthetic of that era. I wanted the property to be a fusion of classic contemporary and Parisian boutique hotel. Even though the outside looked very Georgian and British, we wanted to make the interiors feel mysterious and opulent to give it a different feel from the other houses on the market so people coming to view it would feel that it was special.”
Mosca, who initially worked in fashion for Karen Millen and Diesel, says a “meticulous eye for detail” developed during her training as a tailor means she notices tiny changes to décor and shade easily and stores that knowledge away for future use.
While she may have got her inspiration for Sophia House from France, she travelled the Mediterranean coastline to pick up the perfect marbling to run throughout the house. Her favourite find was a pair of gold, scalloped side tables that she found while shopping for fabrics in a tiny boutique in New York.
As a designer responsible for giving character to all of the developer’s projects, Mosca has to stay way ahead of global trends in fashion, architecture and décor. Every three months, she takes off with a member of her team to attend exhibitions and shows to find out what the next big thing is, not just this season, but for projects that won’t come to market for years to come. “We trend forecast up to 18 months in advance so that, by the time the house goes on sale, it’s right on trend.”
For more information on Sophia House, call 020 7205 2643 or visit sophiahouse.co.uk.
AREA GUIDE: SW20 | |||
House Prices | |||
Detached | Semi-Detached | Terraced | Flats |
£1.047m | £829,098 | £651,640 | £404,409 |
Transport | |||
Time to Canary Wharf | 50 mins | ||
Time to Liverpool Street | 40 mins | ||
Nearest station | Wimbledon |