When wabi-sabi devotee and avid art collector Rafic Said, a senior managing director at private-equity firm Blackstone, first stepped inside this former artist's studio in Notting Hill, the decor was decidedly less calm and pared back than what we see today.
'There was mirrored plastic sheeting on the ceilings,' he recalls with visible disbelief. 'Although the previous owner was an Italian architect, I thought it was just weird.'
This reaction is understandable once we dig a little deeper into Rafic's interior-design inspirations. He classes French name-of-the-moment Charles Zana as a friend (they recently went on a trip to Egypt to see one of his other homes), but it is Belgian minimalist Axel Vervoordt whose influence looms largest in every room.
'I've studied him to death,' confesses Rafic. 'I have every one of his books, I've been to his castle in Antwerp and I understand his philosophy.'
It's true. Vervoordt's concept of perfect imperfection is apparent from the walls - covered with hessian that has then been roughly painted over; the texture-maximising work of Will Foster Studios - to the very structure of the home itself. Working with interior designer Saskia Blyth-Collinson, Rafic added a mezzanine level into the lofty top-floor apartment. Saskia sourced reclaimed wood from Belgium and France to create a rustic, lived-in feel.
Saskia also chose salvaged Versailles parquet for the floors, and a curated mix of furniture that is either vintage or has been custom-made by local craftspeople. Perhaps most notable is the abundance of Pierre Jeanneret chairs - 'I went into overdrive because we found some originals in India and I was, like, "Buy everything!"' recalls Rafic with amusement.
Despite these instincts, Rafic would not describe himself as a furniture collector. That level of passion is reserved solely for art. Specifically, female abstract expressionist artists. A beautiful piece by the late Lebanese artist and writer Etel Adnan hangs in the dining room, alongside work by Lydia Gifford and Ida Barbarigo. Rafic's own mother is an artist, too, regularly painting at a studio nearby in Notting Hill with her friend Bobby Gill, so it should be no surprise that Rafic sees his home as a backdrop to art. It's an inviting and homely gallery space populated with the help of Arianne Piper Art Advisory.
And, like an artist, Rafic can wax lyrical about the benefits of the large leaded windows that are this home's grandest, and only, original feature. 'The apartment is good on a sunny day,' he tells us, 'but it's when there is a sunset that you get this incredible stream of light and the whole space turns golden.' blyth-collinson.co.uk