A Stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace
Appointed to create an interior befitting the impeccable architecture of The Clarence at St James House while staying true to its faultless heritage, Katharine Pooley and her team of designers and interior architects worked over a five year period to effect a transformation of the Grand II listing building into an elegant residence in London.
One of the most important addresses in London, The Clarence at St James House is a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace and overlooks St. James’s Palace with direct views of the main entrance to Pall Mall. The work undertaken by Katharine Pooley and her design team entailed an incredibly intricate and laborious process as so much of the fabric of the building was of national importance. Throughout the property there are listed details and architectural features in need of protection, restoration and incorporation into the overall interior design scheme. Katharine worked extensively with the architects & contractors to ensure the narrative was consistent.
The use of exquisite marble, bespoke furnishings, hand painted wallpapers and fine joinery have been used to complement the restored existing listed features such as fireplaces, mouldings, staircases and wall panelling resulting in an immaculate and ground breaking finished interior. The final design has a quintessentially English feel updated to reflect the requirements of its well- travelled owners. Katharine Pooley’s expertise and eye for detail extends into the bathrooms which embody an old world European feel with a central feature bath critical for a glamorous focal point. Katharine has created old European style glamorous master bathrooms with Bianco Lasa slab marble book matched and sourced in Italy which is clad on the walls while nickel and bevelled mirror Deco fittings complete the space. The bath itself is clad in the highest grade Thassos marble, which creates a beautiful mirror effect to the veining akin to a piece of art.
Katharine pays particular attention to the use of colour palates. In the master suite, a grown-up femininity is achieved through the combination of Rose Gold and a blush dusky pink, which are the perfect tones for a soft, warm, inviting and unmistakably glamorous bedroom. Silk hand painted wallpaper on the walls introduces ivory accents carried through on the bed linen and Carrera Marble insets to the listed fireplace. Katharine also picked dark rich masculine browns for the wall finishes of the key spaces adding to the overall gentleman’s club with a twist feel – finishes are always tactile and warm, with hand painted silk Louis style panelling wallpaper in the octagonal central hallway, bronze silk on the the boys bedrooms walls and a scalloped patterned bitter chocolate grass cloth on the powder room walls.
Throughout the property, Katharine curated the collection of large scale art and photography features specifically for this project on behalf of the client. The KPL Home Dressing Team specialises in commissioning and sourcing pieces from established and up and coming artists to fit the clients’ personal brief and to perfectly marry the interior in which they will sit. Notable pieces in The Clarence include the huge photographic piece in the gallery style entrance hall, an absolutely spectacular large scale photograph of swimming horses which are graphically impactful when first entering the property.
About Katharine Pooley
Katharine Pooley is one of the most sought-after interior designers in the United Kingdom and commissions for landmark commercial and residential properties around the world.
Having once worked in finance, Katharine is a shrewd businesswoman and under her leadership Katharine Pooley Ltd has grown enormously each year from a UK firm undertaking predominantly domestic projects to an internationally well-respected brand and design studio encompassing architectural design, interior design, product design and property development.
Overseeing her team of 47 interior designers and architects Katharine’s highly personal approach – she immerses herself in every detail of her client’s complex projects – ensures a loyal international fan base for her impressive designs. She also boasts a flagship showroom in Doha and a growing roster of clients based in North America and The Middle East.
Recent global assignments include properties in many of London’s most prestigious addresses, a private family home in Washington, a Villa overlooking the sea in the south of France and a large villa in Kuwait.
Alongside her successful design studio, Katharine has a standalone boutique in South Kensington, showcasing a range of curated accessories sourced from all over the globe. Katharine has also been the worthy recipient of many industry awards and is consistently featured in the Andrew Martin Top 100 international interior designers.
In 2017, and in partnership with Assouline, Katharine released Journey by Design. The book explores the creative processes and diverse inspirations behind nineteen of her inimitable projects.
