In a pocket of London, behind the brick façade of a conventional townhouse, lies acclaimed musician Anoushka Shankar’s dwelling. It’s an area that holds the story of her life lived throughout continents.
Having grown up in numerous elements of the world, Shankar had a transparent imaginative and prescient when she began designing this area. She wished her dwelling to replicate all sides of her identification—British, Indian, Californian—and to really feel, in her phrases, “totally like my dwelling, in all methods, culturally and in any other case,” she advised Architechtural Digest. The result’s an area that’s wealthy with jewel-toned colors, grounded in London’s basic structure, and softened by components that recall California’s ethereal lightness.
Regardless of telling herself she wouldn’t purchase a “doer-upper,” she laughs, admitting she ended up with precisely that, a good looking, historic dwelling that wanted greater than a contemporary coat of paint. “As is the character with these previous homes, we needed to do rather a lot various beauty issues,” Anoushka explains. “However ultimately, I really feel prefer it’s our dwelling. And that the electrics aren’t going to burn us down, which is sweet!”
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The house represents a rising nest for her household. In comparison with her earlier properties in areas like Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, this new place feels extra suburban, extra settled. “It seems like a mild transfer in the direction of an actual household dwelling for me and my children,” she shares. “It’s a correct London townhouse. It feels very grown-up—however I form of really feel like I’m pretending at being a grown-up.”
Nonetheless, the home fits them completely. In contrast to vertical metropolis flats, this area offers every particular person room to breathe. With a number of flooring, there’s sufficient privateness in order that when her children are being significantly noisy, she will retreat elsewhere. “That’s very nice,” she says, smiling.
Considered one of her favorite corners is a ground-floor room that doubles as a recording studio and inventive workspace. From her seat, she will look out over the backyard, a view that evokes the extra introspective aspect of her artistry. “I like coming into this room for pondering and dreaming,” she displays. “The colors and lightweight listed here are gentle, very conducive to lovely ideas.”
Shankar has been dwelling on this home for slightly below a yr, and although it’s nonetheless comparatively new, it feels proper. “I noticed loads of homes on the time,” she recollects, “however this was the one which felt heat and welcoming, prefer it wished us to be right here.”Story continues under this advert
From textiles that nod to her Indian heritage to the sun-soaked palette impressed by her time in California, Anoushka’s house is a fantastically layered area that tells her story with out saying a phrase.
