Calm, Compact, Connected: Designing Our London Base

Part 1 of the London Renovation Series

After years of being put up by film studios in Chelsea and South Kensington, and falling in love with the energy, charm, and history

of these neighborhoods, we finally decided to invest in our own piece of London. When you live between Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney, and London, finding stillness becomes an art form — and this small studio apartment — our London base for minimal luxury living — isn’t just a stop between our global homes; it’s a carefully curated compact, functional living space reflecting everything we love about the city, while removing the small frustrations that often come with temporary accommodations. (See our travel organization blog for how we stay organized and streamlined when constantly moving.)

London studios have a way of teaching you restraint — to prioritize what matters and let go of what doesn’t. When we started designing this space, our goal wasn’t to make it look larger, but to make it feel effortless. We wanted to walk in and instantly exhale.

Usually, we find calm while travelling — through the quiet ritual of unpacking our set suitcases, each carefully curated for function and ease. Our travel uniform, packing systems, and routines are all built around efficiency: what folds best, what charges fast, what works in three climates at once. It’s that same thinking that shaped this London studio. (See our blog on how we stay organized and streamlined when always on the road for more on that travel rhythm.)

The studio isn’t about filling the space with objects; it’s about curating a mood and a feeling. The images in this post — our mood boards and Pinterest-inspired collages — capture the essence of the apartment before a single item is placed. They show how we’re translating a sense of cosiness within a minimal style, blending textures, lighting, and color palettes so that every element feels intentional, functional, and welcoming.

These boards are more than inspiration; they’re the blueprint for how the space will function. The studio is designed to feel like a luxury small apartment — a place where we can arrive after travel or a late night shoot and move seamlessly into a 16-hour day on set — while still providing the comforts of home when we’re staying for weeks or months. Every texture, color, and lighting choice on the boards reflects that balance: calm, functional, and inviting. This is a space that removes friction, keeps life simple, and allows us to focus on work, rest, or creativity — all in a very small footprint.

People often ask me where I want to end up living. After years in Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Vancouver, and beyond, the truth is simple: nowhere is perfect. Every city has pros and cons, which means no one place truly feels like home. That’s why the studio — our pied-à-terre— is so important: it’s a base, a grounding point, a home we curate. It’s not about perfection, but about bringing the bits we love from different places to life and removing what we find frustrating.

In essence, the studio embodies what home means for us right now: calm, functional, luxurious, and intentional — a small space designed to carry the weight of our nomadic lives while still offering a pause, a breath, and a sense of sanctuary.

The Calm Edit

If the first part of designing the studio was about function and mood, the next layer has been about light, texture, and atmosphere. Natural light is everything to me — it shapes how a space feels, how colors read, and even how calm you feel inside it.

I first noticed this in Vancouver. Even on the dullest days, the light is somehow brighter, cleaner, more alive. That awareness only deepened when I moved to LA, where the sunlight feels expansive and golden almost year-round. Bringing that understanding into this London pied-à-terre was essential: the apartment needed to feel luminous and airy, even on overcast days.

The design choices reflect this: light, neutral interiors that extend the natural glow, soft fabrics that diffuse it, and reflective surfaces that carry it across the space. I love that there are not only south-facing windows but also skylights, so every zone — whether a work corner, a kitchen, or a reading nook — has access to daylight. Even on the busiest, darkest afternoons, the studio feels open and alive.

Beyond light, texture and calm were the guiding principles. Mood boards, Pinterest collages, and layered materials define the aesthetic before anything is physically in place. Soft linens, subtle boucle, warm woods, and natural ceramics work together to create a space that’s quiet, luxurious, and inviting, even in a very small footprint.

The studio is meant to be a safe, grounding space — a home that works like a hotel when we arrive late after a shoot, but still has the warmth and comfort of being lived in when we’re staying for weeks. Every design decision has been intentional: from fabrics that feel good to the touch, to muted palettes that encourage rest, to layouts that maximize every inch of daylight.

This pied-à-terre is the calm at the heart of our London life — a place that allows us to breathe, work, rest, and reset, even while moving between cities, time zones, and projects.

Explore Our Pinterest Mood Board

To give you a deeper look into the inspiration behind our London studio — our pied-à-terre — we’ve curated a dedicated Pinterest board. It brings together textures, color palettes, cozy corners, light-filled spaces, and multifunctional small-space solutions that guided the design process.

Whether you’re seeking small apartment ideas in London, compact luxury apartment inspiration, or multi-functional living space tips, this board is a living reflection of the calm, functional, and connected philosophy behind our studio.

📌 View the full Pinterest board

Looking Ahead: Part 2

As much as this studio is about calm, mood, and functionality, the journey is just beginning. In the next part of the series, we’ll take you behind the scenes as the space begins its transformation, gradually being shaped into a functional, luxurious studio that works perfectly for our global lifestyle. Part 2 will reveal the early stages of the renovation and hint at the magic that turns this blank canvas into our permanent pied-à-terre in London.

Before: The Starting Point