Modern, but make it cosy: ideas for contemporary houses
Contemporary houses can often evoke images of bland, sterile, box-like rooms decorated in fifty shades of greige – the sort of thing you might expect to see in a sales catalogue for a newbuild block or a developer project. However, if executed well, contemporary design can be incredibly inspiring, as the work of the talented individuals of the 2026 HG101 demonstrates. There are interior designers who are skilled at bringing a fresher, more modern – or quieter and calmer – feel to period properties; those who often turn their hand to contemporary buildings crying out for interiors to match; and the architects who are responsible for designing innovative, future-proof houses that are as practical as they are beautiful.
What they all have in common is the ability to combine clean-lined simplicity with creativity and character, putting the focus on materials, textures and carefully considered details – in other words, ensuring every small decision has a big impact. Together, they are shaping the future of design and inspiring us all to take a more thoughtful approach to buildings old and new. We have gathered together some of our favourite examples of their recent work to inspire your next project, be it an ambitious newbuild or a sensitive reimagining of your existing home.
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James McDonald1/16A Notting Hill townhouse with inventive interiors by Bryan O’Sullivan
If ever there was an example of a brilliantly bold take on contemporary style it is this townhouse decorated by London- and New York-based designer Bryan O’Sullivan. The nine-storey stucco-fronted villa presented him with the ideal opportunity to experiment with interesting colours and finishes, and collaborate with a host of artisan makers.
One of the main reception rooms at the front of the house has become a technicolour library, painted it in a rich shade of teal with the ceiling lacquered in a golden mustard hue by specialist decorator Mathew Bray. This provides a striking backdrop for a mix of modern and vintage furniture, including a Rose Uniacke sofa upholstered in a George Spencer Designs velvet, a coffee table by Ado Chale and Michel Dufet armchairs. A pendant light by Paavo Tynell is the perfect centrepiece.
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James McDonald2/16With walls lined in pale oak – a clever contemporary alternative to traditional dark wood panels – the breakfast room feels warm yet clean-lined and unfussy. Texture and colour are introduced by the natural-fibre rug and the Svenskt Tenn chairs, upholstered in various eye-catching fabrics. The pendants are by Alvar Aalto and the painting is by Wolf Kahn. The kitchen beyond is lined in matching oak panels, many of which conceal cupboard doors, for a sleek and uncluttered finish.
Dean Hearne3/16Clare Gaskin’s old-meets-new family home in south west London
When interior designer Clare Gaskin and her husband Will bought this semi-detached Edwardian house in Putney, it was divided into two flats and five bedsits so needed a considerable rethink. They enlisted the architects at Daykin Marshall Studio, who helped them to create a coherent home and designed an unusual take on the standard kitchen extension, with projecting copper-clad windows and ash panels. ‘I love the honesty of saying, “this is new”,’ says Clare.
Dean Hearne4/16Inside, Clare worked with Eggersmann Design to create a contemporary kitchen that feels perfectly in keeping with the new architecture. The dark metal wall units and stainless steel worktops give the space an almost industrial aesthetic, while cork flooring, orange tiles and vintage bar stools picked up at Kempton introduce the feeling warmth and texture that runs throughout the house.
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Dean Hearne5/16Similarly warm tones and textures have been used to transform the room at the front of the house into a wonderfully cocooning snug. The walls are in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Bittersweet Chocolate’, the bookcase is lined with Schumacher’s ‘Palm Weave’ wallcovering and built-in seating has cushions covered in rich orange corduroy.
Kensington Leverne6/16Sophie Ashby brings new life to a modernist house in south London
‘I am always searching for freshness in a room. The sense of having just thrown open a window to let the breeze in. Then I like to punctuate this with soul and interest.’ These words from the introduction of Sophie’s 2024 book Studio Ashby: Home Art Soul perfectly sum up her approach in this modernist house in south London. Built in 2011, it has a very generous sense of space, with double-height ceilings and huge windows, but it wasn’t quite working for family life.
Once MSMR Architects had made some key internal changes, Sophie set about bringing in the soul and interest. In the double-height living area at the back of the house, this came in the form of furniture with gently curving silhouettes, lots of richly textured pieces and an eye-catching collection of art (Sophie is known for her ability to incorporate works into her schemes). All of this helps to soften the harsher lines and materials without losing any sense of that freshness and modernity.
Kensington Leverne7/16In the dining area, a banquette with cushions in Pierre Frey and Claremont fabrics and a ‘Capsule Ingot’ table, both bespoke by Galvin Brothers, are teamed with vintage Danish rosewood chairs and chairs covered in Dedar’s ‘Vladimiro’ velvet. Philip Maltman’s Devon Diptych and a Ladies & Gentlemen Studio ‘Myrna’ light complete the space.
Owen Gale8/16An extraordinary marshland house on the Isle of Wight by architect Níall McLaughlin
‘I design buildings as experiences rather than crafted objects in space,’ says architect Níall McLaughlin, who was responsible for the design of this unusual house on the Isle of Wight. It was built to replace an unremarkable 1950s bungalow, and was re-sited and oriented to make the most of far-reaching views across tidal marshes to Bembridge Harbour. ‘The clients were also an architect’s dream,’ he adds, ’as they were open to an adventure in design.’
At the heart of the house is a large atrium-like space clad externally in accoya and internally in ash, with picture windows (which are motorised allowing them to disappear into the floor) looking out over the water. Overhead, the pyramidal copper roof is lined with timber and has slatted shards of glass to help filter the sun. In the seating area at one end, Hans J Wegner ‘CH25’ chairs and ‘290’ sofas are huddled around a woodburner, below the steel super-structure and timber-battened ceiling completed by Millimetre.
Owen Gale9/16At the other end of the large atrium-like living area, ‘Wishbone’ chairs by Hans J Wegner partner a table, which, like all the joinery was designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects and fabricated by Millimetre. Hand-painted silk screens by de Gournay can be deployed manually from the windowsills, providing privacy and protection for the sun while creating an exquisite artistic focal point for the table – and reminding us that contemporary houses need never be devoid of craftsmanship.
Owen Gale10/16The bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are contained within discrete modular cells, serried along the woodland-facing side of the building. Here, the open sliding door offers a glimpse inside the bedroom, where a built-in bed is teamed with a patterned bedspread and Toast cushions in complementary tones.
Jasper Fry11/16Designer Rachel Aisling Walker was contacted by the owners of this Victorian house in north London after they had visited two houses she worked on for their friends. ‘They liked the way these spaces had a warmth and the way that I mix styles, periods and provenances through antiques,’ recalls Rachel. She has done the same here, imbuing the house with a wonderfully serene quality.
In the first-floor drawing room, a pair of 1940s chairs sourced from Dorian Caffot Antiques sit opposite a RAW Interiors ‘York’ sofa in Rose Uniacke's ‘Heavy Weight Cotton Velvet’ in umber. To the left of the fireplace is an 1820s Swedish chest of drawers, which was one of Rachel’s favourite finds.
Jasper Fry12/16An elegant house in north London by Rachel Aisling Walker
The main bedroom is the epitome of understated luxury. A modern take on a four-poster is hung with curtains in ‘Italian Linen’ in siena Ivory from Gayle Warwick and set against walls painted in Rose Uniacke’s ‘Champagne’. ‘I grew up in Italy and am obsessed with those warm whites,’ explains Rachel. ‘I very rarely go down a white-grey route, because it just feels a bit too cold for me.’ Wooden antique furniture and a chocolate brown throw over the end of the bed bring added warmth and depth to the scheme.
Jasper Fry13/16A soulful, restrained take on a Victorian end-of-terrace house by designer Hollie Bowden
‘We wanted to create a family home that was respectful of our surroundings and reflective of who we are,’ explains former Burberry executive Ronojoy Dam of his end-of-terrace house in London. For this he called on Hollie Bowden, whose ‘esoteric, intuitive approach’ he had admired for some time. A rear extension by architect Lucas Facer has provided ample space for a kitchen-dining room, with doors onto the Japanese-inspired garden designed by Ūla Maria Studio and Alexandra Noble.
The focus here and throughout the house is on raw, honest materials, such as wood, steel, stone and iron, as well as lots of lovely linen and other natural textiles. Hollie has then brought in earthy accents, like the turmeric yellow Vico Magistretti chairs at the farmhouse table, to dial up the warmth without overpowering the rooms.
15/16A fresh and characterful take on a Belgravia townhouse by Buchanan Studio
Despite having been recently renovated to a high standard, this townhouse didn’t quite suit the new owners’ taste, so they called in Buchanan Studio, which is known for its idiosyncratic and often dramatic sense of style. ‘It’s not a subtle house,’ says co-founder Angus Buchanan. ‘The owners wanted to make brave choices and that’s what we love.’
On the ground floor, the double-height Crittall windows flood the kitchen and sitting area with light, creating an uplifting indoor-outdoor feel. Angus has enhanced this by keeping things bright and fresh. Merci Maison’s ‘Ce’cile’ stools and ‘Dodo Egg’ glass lanterns from Beata Heuman partner the island in the existing Officine Gullo kitchen and, across the room, Buchanan Studio’s own ‘Studio’ chair and footstool are paired with a ‘Daydream Prism’ side table.
16/16The calming green scheme continues in the study upstairs, where Valleverde marble on the desktop tones with woodwork in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Treron’ and Christopher Farr’s ‘Bulu Raffia’ moss wallcovering. ‘For us, bringing an element of marble into a space immediately lifts it,’ says Angus in his dos and don’ts of decorating. ‘The thing we love the most about marble is that it feels simultaneously modern and yet classic.’ And it is that careful balance that runs through all of Buchanan Studio’s work and gives their projects such inherent appeal.
