Inspirational Interiors

Prince Zylinski`s Palazzo Rocks!

If I could live in any building in London, it would have to be Prince Zylinski`s fabulous residence,
the White House in Ealing, West London. It is clearly, in my opinion, the most magnificent and characterful of any I have seen. 

In the doorway, which leads from the Library to the Snug Room; I am wearing a Michael Kors dress and a Gucci handbag. 

A Neo-Classical exterior of the White House. 

 An elegant and vast living room is full of antiques and crystal chandeliers.

 The Blue Bedroom, one of many luxurious bedrooms in the house.

It has been lovingly designed and built by Prince John Zylinski, as a private residence for himself and his wife, and is a replica of an old family estate in Poland that had been burnt to the ground, by a communist government who exiled the family during the II World War.  

 The Library.

The whole property is breathtakingly beautiful, and not surprisingly, had been used by TV crews, and high profile designers for photoshoots and promotional videos.

Britney Spears` music video was filmed in this marble bathroom.

However, the residence is not a show-home; it has many family-friendly amenities, for example under-floor heating throughout the house, a fridge concealed in an old, birch-wood cabinet, and a sensor-light at the gilded entrance door.

Its main attraction is a distinct feeling of a wonderful family home.    

Marble statues look out from a wrap-around terrace towards a peaceful garden.

Furniture from Mali

When the leading labels such as Valentino, Fendi, Ferragamo, Dior and Gucci sent glamorous rebels and vixens, clad in glossy black leather, down the catwalks across the globe, and Chanel introduced a new fragrance, called Noir, bottled in an opaque dark flacon, the message become clear– black is back! It played on my mind when we visited Africa, searching for furniture to decorate our abode. While we were there, I noticed a lovely leather bed (black, of course!) in an Italian boutique but felt it was too bulky for our airy apartment. After a couple of days, having visited every single furniture shop in town, without a positive outcome, we knew we needed to find a local craftsman and go the bespoke route.

I am eyeing up this marvellous sofa/bench, made by world-renown artisans from Mali, which I discovered in a gallery in our African town, as my next purchase. It would add charm and finesse to our penthouse.

We were lucky to discover the very same evening a fabulously loud reggae bar, on a rooftop, with breath-taking views over the ocean and the town centre; the place was so cool and slick, and decorated with shiny, black-coloured coffee tables, black sofas and loungers, and all kitted out with comfortable cushions, made of soft fabric in the same hue. A helpful owner introduced us to his Ghanaian furniture maker, who – in turn – initiated a meeting, the next morning, with a carpenter from Guinea Bissau, who agreed to make 6 pieces of furniture for us. All bespoke, carefully measured to fit specific areas of our apartment. We are very happy we are feeding money into the local community rather than forking out for hugely expensive and hazardously unreliable shipping of furniture from Europe.