As a consultant advising private clients and brands on fashion and retail, Sukeena Rao is used to finding creative solutions that respond to a particular style. Yet when it came to dressing the Victorian home that she shares with her husband and their son, she found that she was stuck.

Realising that it was now she who needed advice, Sukeena enlisted the help of interior designer Charles Mellersh, and together they created a home that is calm and functional, without compromising on style. As she approaches 10 years in her much-loved home, Sukeena reflects on the formative experience, shares her love for Scandinavian design, and explains why, at home, function beats form.

“My husband and I have always lived in Notting Hill. I’m from Cheshire but he grew up here, and we always wanted to live where one of us was from. It’s always been a particularly beautiful area, and though it’s changed a lot over the years, we’ve really grown with it.

“Before we got married we were renting and we got really lucky with the first apartment we lived in. It was owned by a set designer who had opened up the space, modernising it while keeping all the original details. It made me realise how beautiful these Victorian houses can be.

“So when we decided to get married and buy somewhere together, that’s what we looked for. We had already seen a few apartments when we came across this, which looked like a cottage. Outside it was overgrown but when you came into the inner courtyard you could see it was really beautiful. It felt like a hidden gem.

“It was in surprisingly good condition inside, so we moved in and, at first, just painted it white. After a few years, we moved out again and completely stripped it back, adding a small extension to increase the size of the ground floor. We moved the staircase from the middle to the side of the house to allow for a better flow, replastered the walls (keeping the Victorian features), and put in wooden Dinesen floors throughout. The planks are the same length as the room. It’s very simple and beautiful.

“The build was a little stressful – I was expecting my first child, as people always seem to be when they do these projects. But, after about a year, we were in a position to start thinking about the interior design.

“I had been comfortable making choices about the structural elements, the bare bones of the house, but I panicked when it came to filling it. I didn’t know what would be the best way to approach the interior while making it still easy to live in.

“I realised I needed to work with someone, so reached out to Charles Mellersh, who’s a friend and a great designer. We were really starting with a blank canvas and he helped me pull it all together.

“I find London life hectic, being from up north. I was adamant that this home had to be an oasis of calm, especially when both my husband and I were working long hours. I’m a huge Ilse Crawford fan and I was influenced by her concept of home; about how it’s not just about the aesthetic but living comfortably.

“Having already lived in the space we understood the flow of the house – where light is at different times of the day, for example. As much as we were looking for a certain aesthetic, it was really important to get the furniture in the right place, so the house worked naturally.

“So there’s a chair in my bedroom, where I have a cup of tea in the morning, looking out of the window and along all the gardens in the street. And the whole of the ground floor has become a library. There’s no TV, which I’m slightly regretting in lockdown, but it’s a great space to work. My husband will use it for his calls in the morning and I base my consultancy work from there. In the evening, pre-lockdown, it’s somewhere we would have drinks with friends by the fire.

“We chose Plain English to do the kitchen. I had this amazing sense of calm when I went to their showroom and we opted for a neutral palette. It feels like it’s sympathetic to the house – you can imagine there was the same style of Shaker kitchen here years ago.

“Through Studioilse I was introduced to Tina Seidenfaden Busck, who runs a homeware store in Copenhagen called The Apartment. She completely opened my eyes to this whole world of Scandinavian design, mixing amazing heritage and vintage pieces with Hermès fabrics and velvet. Charles and I took a trip there and ended up commissioning a lot of different pieces.

“When some of the larger furniture started to arrive, like the custom pieces we commissioned from George Smith in this striking Maharam fabric, I realised that the whole process of putting an interior together is just layering. You start with the floorboards, then bring in the furniture, and everything else starts to fall into place.

“Back then, when we were putting the house together, I was on maternity leave. Charles and I could talk for three hours just about a chair. Now I don’t have the time, as I’m busy with work and the kids. But I feel like I have been on a journey. Because of all these amazing people like Charles, Ilse and Tina, I really had an education in furniture, art and interior design. I wasn’t expecting that at all.

“I’ve found that a good interior should be visually exciting but it shouldn’t be overwhelming. The key is to have an amazing structure with great architecture, and fill it with pieces that accentuate that. You can’t just buy something that you love, it has to work in everyday life. I don’t believe in having sofas you can’t sit on.

“I think if you’ve designed a space well, if it has all the right pieces of furniture, it naturally works better – even if you can’t always keep it tidy because of the kids. There are definitely arguments for form over function, but designing for your own home is very different from, say, a retail space. The most important question is whether you can relax, be comfortable and feel like you’re at home.”