Did you see this weekend’s T magazine? It featured both the London flat and English farmhouse of revered British interior designer, Robert Kime. For us, part of what makes Kime’s homes so appealing is his ability to create spaces that look lived-in, undecorated but entirely special and like nothing you’ve ever seen before. As Rita Konig writes in the story about his farmhouse, “you would think that the place had been untouched by an interior designer. This might be because he is a dealer (antiques) and a decorator second.” Kime was born in 1946 and left school at the age of 16 to work as an archeologist in Greece and Israel before studying history at Oxford. After university, he went to Sotheby’s and from there to sell antiques for Miriam Rothschild. Kime says he never set out to become a decorator and that it sort of just “took over.” Looking through the photos of his two homes, it’s clear that what makes this man tick is antiques and that his true love is collecting.
Above, the drawing room of Kime’s London apartment which sits above his shop in Bloomsbury. Below, a cozy armchair at his house in Longsleddale Valley.
The picturesque surroundings at the farmhouse…
Below, a camelback leather sofa and late 19th century William Morris-weave curtains in the living room of Kime’s farmhouse.
The former dining room with original stone floors.
In the master bedroom, a Queen Anne fabric panel hangs behind a headboard covered in an antique French linen.
The living room of his London apartment. Looks like a lovely spot to curl up and have a hot cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.
The dining room walls in London are covered in silk.
A framed Mughal tent hangs next to an Arts and Crafts desk from 1890.
Vintage chinz lined in antique muslin voile in the master bedroom in London.
This story is a great read whether you are familiar with Kime’s work, or just learning about him for the first time. To read the full story, click here!