Balance and Erudition

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Just moments from Holland Park’s Leighton House and the Design Museum, this Addison Road home, built in 1856-57, carries a rich artistic legacy. Its most celebrated resident, Victorian painter Herbert Gustave Schmalz (1856-1935), created its beautiful studio, which remains a defining feature. Today, the interiors - designed by Chester Jones - offer a calm and inviting atmosphere, seamlessly blending character and elegance whilst honouring the building’s artistic heritage.

^{'A Chester Jones Interior' © Russell Simpson}

Chester Jones is a British interior designer, architect and author, known for his timeless, understated and meticulously styled interiors. His studio is small, deliberately so, but his experience is wide. Jones was an architect before joining Colefax and Fowler, one of the UK’s principal firms of traditional decoration, ending up as managing director.

^{'A Chester Jones Interior' © Russell Simpson}

With a background in architecture and an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary art and antiques, Chester Jones crafts interiors that harmoniously meld elegance and comfort. His design philosophy - rooted in balance, erudition, and the joy of living among meaningful objects - is reflected throughout the current owner’s collection. The bold, monochromatic pattern of a Nafana Bedu plank mask creates a striking contrast against off-white walls, while the rich patina of an 18th-century Italian armoire is juxtaposed with the vivid colour palettes of modern and contemporary artwork, showcasing a masterful interplay of history and creativity.

^{'A Chester Jones Interior'}

Chester Jones and his team incorporate antiques and artefacts from diverse cultures and periods - not for their nostalgia, but to form a ‘collage of intriguing relationships’ through careful arrangement. These pieces interact, enhancing one another, gaining new energy, and remaining relevant in the present. As the thoughtfully curated works from this collection come to market through Sworders’ upcoming sales, they offer a glimpse into a design philosophy where past and present exist in perfect harmony - proof that great interiors, like great art, are never bound by time.

^{'A Chester Jones Interior' © Russell Simpson}

Further items from the collection will be offered for sale in Sworders’ Modern & Contemporary Art, Design, and Old Master, British and European Art auctions - see our upcoming auctions for further information.

Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 March | 10am

fineinteriors@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

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