How I Curate My Space: Stylist And Cook Kirthanaa Naidu’s Beloved Dining Room
In our series on interiors, we ask designers and tastemakers to open the doors of their most-loved spaces, sharing the stories, inspirations and favorite pieces within them. Here, tablescape stylist, cook and creative consultant KIRTHANAA NAIDU invites KATIE BERRINGTON into the magnificent dining room in her west-London home.
“Some of the happiest moments in my life have been in this room. I’ve hosted breakfasts, lunches and dinners for close friends and family. Birthday parties, Christmas dinners and so on,” says Kirthanaa Naidu of the downstairs dining space in her Victorian terraced home. “Being in this space fills me with warmth as well as nostalgia. I’ve made precious memories through shared meals and celebrations – I even celebrated my 18th birthday in this room when just my sister lived here. It was very different back then, but it’s always been a place of celebration. It’s also always been an open door and a consistent base for the friends I’ve grown up with.”
Naidu moved into the house, on a beautiful, silver-birch lined street in West London, six years ago. Unsurprisingly, it is the dining room that has become a “sanctuary” for the cook, tablescape stylist and creative consultant. “It’s the most used space in my home. For work and personal, it’s my happy place.”
It is also the largest space in the house but split into two parts, “which keeps it intimate,” she says. “One side is dedicated to the dining table only, right by a big window looking out onto the garden – where you can open up the windows for a fresh breeze. The other side has a bar and soft seating area, so you can change it up completely after dinner – I often serve pudding there. It has a fire, for cozy evenings, and the mantlepiece is perfect for seasonal flowers and decorations. A room isn’t just about the aesthetics, it’s about the atmosphere it creates.”
““Being in this SPACE fills me with warmth as well as NOSTALGIA. I’ve made precious memories through SHARED meals and celebrations”
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For the walls, Naidu opted for an off-white with terracotta notes, chosen to be both “multi-seasonal and multi-functional: I use the space for work and shoots so, while it’s my home, it can also be styled in different directions for different briefs and projects.” Painting it the neutral shade “shifted the mood and [because it’s neutral] I can add to it at any time with understated bursts of color and with soft furnishings.”
From the color palette to the furnishings, Naidu has completely transformed the room since she first moved in. “It was lacking light, tasteful furniture, and a bit of personality!” she recalls. “I was quite young when I moved in and maybe didn’t have the best investments in mind, so I always knew that it would take some time for it to feel like home.” Now, it is filled with “an ever-evolving collection of items that really gives it character. I started collecting items slowly and most of the pieces in the room are second-hand and vintage.”
The bar area, for instance, is a mid-century piece with storage and shelving – “it immediately creates a space of its own” she says. “The coffee table then followed and the mirror, all in a similar style.” But it is the scale of the dining table that first draws her eye each time she walks in. “Intentionally it stands alone. It’s a beautiful set and always has different items on it, depending on the projects I’m working on or the dinners I’m hosting at that time”.
A love of collecting vintage and antique items is Naidu’s “most consistent trait” when it comes to her décor. “It always feels like a real win. There’s something educational about understanding where it came from and what period of time. It encourages me to research, which often trickles into my working life and stimulates ideas. [And] even if my style shifts from time to time, the items will always hold value in their stories – even where I found it and at what time in my life, never mind the life it had before I gave it a home.”
“I’m happy to invest in a piece I’ll have forever and take with me to each home in the future,” she continues. “I’d like to have a much wider collection in a few years, which is exciting as a thought. I’ve collected items from all over, including Malaysia where my family still live. The items aren’t just objects, they’re a part of my life.”
Her most-loved collection currently is her glassware – an assortment of pieces that she has assembled over time and travels. “Each glass holds a different story from a different place, and together they make up such a great collection, particularly with the different shapes and heights. I have about 30 and they’re typically digestif glasses for post lunch or dinner with friends. I usually serve them on a tray, and each guest tends to be drawn to a different glass.”