How I Curate My Space: Brigitta Spinocchia Freund’s Richly Textured Notting Hill Townhouse

Brigitta Spinocchia Freund describes herself as both interior designer and interior architect because she sees her practice running deeper than topline esthetics. “I design spaces with meaning. Every decision we make as designers, from how light enters a room to the flooring underfoot and the furniture we choose, shapes the experience of home. It shapes how you relax, how you gather, how you feel inspired.”

As the founder of her eponymous interior-architecture and interior-design practice Spinocchia Freund, she has spent nearly three decades working across various different cities and cultures. That, plus the parallel job of raising three children, means her understanding of what constitutes a home has had a long time to sharpen. “A house needs structure and flexibility. It must hold beauty while supporting real life.” Her own home in London’s Notting Hill, she says, “is where those instincts become personal.”

The townhouse’s south-facing aspect was the initial draw. “Light moves through the house and shifts throughout the day.” When the family first viewed the property, its layout seemed to be working against that natural flow. “The proportions, though, were strong. The façade had presence. I could see how powerful the house could become with architectural clarity and better circulation.”

Freund set about giving the space a full, structural overhaul. “We kept only the façade and redesigned everything within it. We dug down and created double-height spaces.” The staircase was relocated, then she devised an open lateral plan to let the light do its thing, and constructed a beautiful, tall library that was carved out of one of the recesses.

Certain objects anchor her personally. “The Campana Brothers sofa in the reception room has become my perch. I sit there to read or think – and from that position, I can hear the rhythm of family life unfolding around me.” A Pierre Cardin desk, a gift from her husband, brings both sentiment and design history; the antique timber flooring, she says, “grounds every space.”

Hospitality underpins every design decision. “It shapes everything. The spaces work for two people, for the whole family, or for many more when we gather friends.” Even an ordinary evening reflects that adaptability. “We cook. The children move between rooms. A record goes on in the library.” The house expands and contracts with the rhythm of their lives.

If there is one guiding principle she lives by, it is being clear with proportion. “Proportion is everything. Ceiling height in relation to joinery. Depth of a sofa in relation to the room. The space between pieces. When proportion is right, the room has energy.”

That interplay between the house’s objects has softened over the years. “Earlier in my career, I was more focused on individual statement pieces. Now I’m interested in how elements speak to each other.”

In the end, her home reflects that she is at “a point in my life where I know what matters to me.” Antique timber meets mid-century silhouettes; emerging artists sit comfortably within traditional architecture. It is a house built on a life of experience and experimentation, but also where warmth, light and cozy family memories blend harmoniously.