Antoni Burakowski is one half of the famous London fashion design partnership of Antoni and Alison. The pictures below show the interior design of his Victorian home in King’s Cross located in central London, which he shares with his romantic partner Kerry Warn. The house, as well as the square in which it is found, have a long and interesting history, full of disaster and recovery. However, for fashion designer Antoni, his home is a labor of love.
The square where the house is situated was originally built in the 1840’s but part of it then collapsed twenty years later when a tunnel being dug beneath the site gave way. Their side was rebuilt, first being used as industrial space, then as a series of squalid bed-sits which it remained for a number of decades. More recently, the house was repaired and given a new façade in keeping with the rest of the square.
Antoni Burakowski and his partner moved into the house four years ago. At that time it had no electricity, bathrooms or details from the original period. It was basically an empty shell. That said, the proportions and structure were in relatively good shape and provided a backdrop from which to work on. Luckily, the pair were not under any time restraints and worked on the house with care and consideration.
Many people in Britain jokes about the influx of Polish immigrants over the last decade, especially Polish builders and plumbers. This recent tradition was carried on when Burakowski’s elderly Polish father, a builder of 87, came over to help with the refurbishment. Most of the plastered walls were left as they were without added paint, so they would match the interior style Antoni wanted. The floorboards were however stripped.
The pair are fascinated by the history of the location and have preserved as much of the original building and decor as possible. An example is in the entrance hall where a large brick wall is visible. This is part of the original structure from the 1840’s that survived the tunnel collapse.
Antoni and his partner have also taken unwanted items from around England to add to their home. These include the doors with a fanlight seen in the hallway which come from an old Yorkshire wool factory. Beside these is a bamboo side table which originates from the 1920s and was used in Stanley Kubrick’s film Eyes Wide Shut.
Knowing where to find quality second hand items for the home is an important aspect of decorating interiors. Owing to Burakowski’s design connections this has been easier for him than most. In the bathroom the tiles on the wall are made by the company that supplies the tiling for the walls on the London Underground railway. The yellow bath and the green basin, made in the 1930s and 1950s respectively, are from an old sanitary-ware maker and were originally used as display examples.
The sitting room is also filled with remarkable collections, many of which are located in display cabinets from the Oxford-based Ashmolean museum. These collections include Clarice Cliff ceramics, Brentleigh Ware and beautifully colourful Murano vases. On a nearby Danish teak sideboard stand lamps from Los Angeles and vases from Hungary. A curly gilded metal table with matching chairs, made in the 1940’s, is also present.
More tiles from the London Underground firm can be found in the basement kitchen. Here Antoni has painted unused floorboards a variety of bright colors and created storage units out of them. A huge Georgian dresser stands nearby on which is a large collection of 1940s Beryl Ware china. This amazing collection of china was acquired from a Women’s Institute in the North of England.
One might notice in the dining room, some cream wooden panelled walls. These are in fact the above dresser’s back panels which have been used to adorn the walls. In the foreground are four Eames DSR fibreglass chairs which surround an old refectory table dating back all the way to the 1890’s. In the corner of the same room is a wonderfully bulky 1820’s corner cupboard from Sweden. Antoni Burakowski and his partner stripped the white gloss a previous owner had covered it with, to reveal the original look. Inside is a collection of glass jugs.
These are just a few of the rooms in the fascinating home of Antoni Burakowski who is one half of the famous London fashion duo Antoni and Alison.
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