Kelly Behun show apartment
Launching the new Designer Collection, world-renowned interior designer Kelly Behun has created a spectacular apartment at The Whiteley, in London’s historic Queensway.
With her gallerist’s eye and deep connections to the art world, Kelly Behun was the natural choice for designing this stunning show home, the first in the Designer Collection at The Whiteley. The apartment’s magnificent proportions and original features called for a bold vision from someone who appreciates the importance of The Whiteley’s location and history.
IT’S VERY MUCH ABOUT HOW YOU NAVIGATE THROUGH A
SPACE. THERE SHOULD BE AN ELEMENT OF DRAMA AND A LITTLE BIT OF SURPRISE, AND EACH AREA SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN PARTICULAR CHARM THAT MAKES YOU FEEL A CERTAIN WAY.
SPACE. THERE SHOULD BE AN ELEMENT OF DRAMA AND A LITTLE BIT OF SURPRISE, AND EACH AREA SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN PARTICULAR CHARM THAT MAKES YOU FEEL A CERTAIN WAY.
Kelly Behun
This careful attention to the way a space should feel is evident as you move through the apartment – a journey that for Kelly often starts with a single piece or idea, or, in this case, a particular colour. Step though the front door and you find yourself in a long, inviting hallway, finished in a soft, deep grey that encourages you to take a moment and decompress from the busyness of the city. The lime paint used here and throughout gives an incredible depth of colour, with a powdery, almost painterly finish where you can see traces of the artist’s hand in the application.
Beyond the vintage Murano glass mirror, hung above a nineteenth-century altar table from Shanxi, a pair of striking red abstract paintings at the end of the hallway draws you down the space. Off to the right, through elegant glass doors, there’s a hint of the unexpected in the soothing blue palette of the room that’s currently styled as a study. The room’s second set of doors opening onto the principal bedroom offers the potential to configure the space in a myriad different ways.
Beyond the vintage Murano glass mirror, hung above a nineteenth-century altar table from Shanxi, a pair of striking red abstract paintings at the end of the hallway draws you down the space. Off to the right, through elegant glass doors, there’s a hint of the unexpected in the soothing blue palette of the room that’s currently styled as a study. The room’s second set of doors opening onto the principal bedroom offers the potential to configure the space in a myriad different ways.
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PLACE AND CONTEXT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. WHAT I SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW IS VERY MUCH CONNECTED TO HOW I BELIEVE THE SPACE SHOULD FEEL.
Kelly Behun
The imposing curved windows are an important heritage feature of The Whiteley, but more than an impressive architectural detail, their careful preservation brings the highly individual spirit of the original building into the apartment. Unlike the flat glass wall of a new build, on a sunny day the square mullions cast a spellbinding pattern of shadows, and even on a grey day the whole space is suffused with light.
FROM THE HERRINGBONE FLOORS AND THE WORKSURFACES IN THE KITCHEN, TO THE MARBLE IN THE BATHROOMS, THE FINISHES ARE NEXT LEVEL. IN TODAY’S WORLD, PEOPLE WANT A HOME THAT FEELS LIKE A SANCTUARY, A PLACE THAT BRINGS BOTH SOLACE AND JOY.