HOME ALONE The Kensington home of celebrated interior designer CHRISTOPHE GOLLUT is the height of European glamour a wealth of neo-classical design details frame his carefully curated collection of Old Master paintings and priceless antiques. Shot by iconic interiors photographer Ricardo Labougle, experience Gollut s visionary style through an equally sophisticated eye. PHOTOGRAPHY RICARDO LABOUGLE STYLING RAQUEL FRANCO TEXT LARA MONRO Dress HERMèS, slippers AQUAZZURA 134 135
Dress LOEWE. Opposite: Blouse vintage MARC JACOBS. Pants and slippers NATASHA ZINKO. 136 137
begin my conversation with i Christophe Gollut by asking him which room in his eclectic Gloucester Road home is his favourite. The dining room. It s gutsy and colourful, as the only room in the house without natural light. When you have no light, don t try and recreate it artificially. Make it bold. With over 40 years experience in the interior design world, I ll take Gollut s word for it. Gollut s abode has been featured countless times by most, if not all, respected interior design publications, and his personality and demeanor comes across crystal clear, even over the telephone calm and effortlessly stylish, with a gentle, lilting Franco-Swiss accent that seems specifically designed for discussing where best to place a chaise longue. Christophe initially read law in his native Switzerland at Geneva University, before changing career path and moving to London in 1969 to study interior design at the Inchbald School. Rather than following contemporary fashion and design trends, Christophe is proud to say his style has remained the same since the 70s: timeless, with an uncontrived subtlety that gives the impression a room has always looked that way. An effortless spontaneity, prompted by the architectural strengths and weaknesses of the property. While his taste is often described as classic European, he does not work to a particular formula. He eschews the idea of trends in interior decoration, preferring to create rooms where everything will last about a thousand years. Having read that Gollut decided to take a year-long sabbatical at the age of 50, I felt it necessary to ask whether there were parts of the world that inspired him and his design approach. My sabbatical did not have an impact on the religion of my interior. I have had the same look all the way through my career, the style hasn t changed. The year out was a wonderful experience I suppose it showed me the charm of the Far East. Did that influence him at all? Perhaps a little, Gollut adds, with characteristic subtlety. I began to use the colour black more. Intrigued by the sheer mass of beautiful antiques that populate the designer s home, I ask where everything came from accumulating pieces when travelling the world to complete commissions? Attending auctions, or walking down Portobello Market? I suppose I was lucky that my parents gave me a number of furnishings for my home, but really, as a decorator for forty years, I have continued to buy the right thing for the right place. Gollut finishes by telling me of his next interior design venture, a private commission in Marrakech, Morocco. In a job that requires constant travel, I ask how he prefers to spend his time when he finally gets home? My home is a versatile home. I can entertain in it with no difficulty I once hosted a wedding here for 120 people. But I often enjoy just having it to myself. When I am alone is when I feel the most relaxed. Opposite: skirt and top MARQUES ALMEIDA, shoes MIU MIU, missing earring SIMONE ROCHA. 138 139
Take a closer look at the exquisite range of objets d arts and trinkets that populate Gollut s home. With a taste for zoomorphic sculpture, you can see here from top to bottom a golden lion, a miniature armadillo, and the dramatic elegance of a rearing swan. Opposite: dress and shoes MIU MIU 140 141
A neo-classical apse creates a tasteful silhouette in front of Gollut s lush garden, and is offset by an 18th-century urn. Below, a range of paintings are pulled together with the playfully upright trunk of a bronze elephant. Opposite: dress and shoes GIVENCHY 142 143
Hand painted dress PALOMO SPAIN Boots AQUAZZURA 144 145
Blouse DAVID KOMA, shorts KALMAR. Opposite: dress VIONNET, slippers MARQUES ALMEIDA. Photographer RICARDO LABOUGLE, digital/photo assistant DAVID WADE, lighting OLIVIA, movement director RYAN CHAPPEL, stylist RAQUEL FRANCO, stylist assistant BRONWYN STEMP, hair stylist LOUIS GHEWY, hair assistant WAKA, make-up artist SIOBHAN FURLONG (Jed Root), manicurist PEBBLES AIKENS, model KATIE NEELS (Elite London), production SHINY PROJECTS, production director BELINDA FOORD. 146 147