Page 3 - DR•I 4.7

That commission came from Lonika’s mother, Lucy Dickens, an artist (and great-great granddaughter of Charles Dickens), who dabbles in real estate: she and Lonika’s stepfather had bought a one-bedroom fixer- upper in Hampstead that they wanted to overhaul as a high-end, long-term rental.
The living area came with nearly 10-foot-tall ceilings and original windows that required restoring. Lucy agreed to expand her white paint palette: the walls are in “a warm and inviting but still neutral shade,” says Lonika-- Paper I from the Paint & Paper Library. “With no cornice, the ceiling was painted in with the walls to soften the junction between the two. The window sash bars and rails were painted in Off-Black by Farrow & Ball, not only to make them stand out, but also to highlight the pretty Victorian spindles on the balcony behind. We went for bespoke sheer roller privacy blinds set inside the recess to expose as much of the original paneled detailing on the window architrave as possible.”
The furnishings are a mix of midcentury pieces Lucy already owned and antiques Lonika tracked down at good prices. The sofa cushions are made from vintage Kuba cloth: “as an artist, visual texture is extremely important to Lucy,” says Lonika.