Interior designer Nina Litchfield’s dream family home she created in Notting Hill

“At the time, I was working in the photography department at Sotheby’s. I loved that, but I had always wanted to do interiors, so I began studying. Eventually, I was able to launch my own business. That was ten years ago. How time flies…”

“That said, I’ve never lost touch with the art world. Art is a crucial part of any decor, helping to pull everything together. If you have beautiful rooms but the art doesn”t fit, it can spoil the whole effect.

“That’s why, when my clients are choosing what to buy, I advise them where to look, who to talk to and which direction to take.”

“I’ve always loved architecture, and my mother taught me the importance of taking pride in your surroundings, of creating beautiful spaces with or without professional help.”

“I love to walk into a house and get a sense of the people who live in it. Spaces can develop their own atmosphere, bring out emotions in us. That’s something I’ve always found fascinating.”

“We’ve been here for 11 years. I love both the house and the challenges that came with it, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to reinvent and revive it – to make it mine. That’s something very special.

“For me, it matters that a house works well; practicality and comfort are key. Here in the city, houses are limited in size and scope, so being able to redo the interiors to suit our needs has been the ultimate dream come true.”

“I took a long time over it; two years to develop the design and then two more to put it into action. It wasn’t easy. I was thinking about it all the way through the pregnancy and birth of our youngest child.

“But in the end, it was worth it, because the result is just what I had dreamed of. By being bold, and transforming the rooms architecturally as well as decoratively, I put our own stamp on the place.”

“We’ve got lots of gorgeous prints on walls and furnishings. There’s art everywhere, much of which has personal meaning for us, which fills me with joy. Then there are all the little things that make a house a home, like the family photos on the mantelpiece.”

“It’s very difficult to choose just a few – there are so many. But I do especially love the three Emma Woollard portraits I had painted, one of each of my children. Those hang in my bedroom.

“In the guest bathroom, I have a photograph by Helmut Newton that I bought at auction at Sotheby’s. It was one of his early works and one of the first works of art that I bought, so it is very important to me. I think everything about it signifies female empowerment.

“In the living room, I chose as the centrepiece a lovely botanical photograph by Anna Skladmann. It gives a tropical touch to the whole room and I love to look at it. And the list goes on. 

“As you can see, art occupies a central place in my life, in my interiors and in the story they tell.”

“Yes; I have an aunt in Spain, Helga de Alvear, who is a gallerist and collector. I visit her a lot and she has taught me so much. I remember I was once looking at a work with her and commented: ‘I could have done this.” And she pointed out: ‘But you didn’t.'”

“She’s taught me to value a work for what it evokes in me, and not to feel under any obligation to like something just because it was created by someone well known.

“So for my personal collection, I only buy pieces I’ve fallen in love with, whether they come from a major gallery or from a flea market.”