“I believe that good design is not just visually appealing but engages all of the human senses.”
Anca Enica
A fusion of Inspiration
August 18, 2023
Nestled in the heart of Chelsea, Atelier Chelsea Design - founded by Anca Enica - has transformed a 19th century artist build with unique Dutch architecture within the Chelsea Park Carlyle Conservation Area.
Neighbouring the region’s iconic King’s Road, 78 Elm Park Road is a 67 m² two bedroom bijou apartment that challenges modern design. Although the aesthetic vision of Atelier Chelsea Design has a contemporary flair, the studio’s founder desired to simultaneously honour the building’s history, maintaining an array of classic features such as the cornice and patinated Corston brass switches.
The eight month project was centred around maximising natural light and how it affects the mood of a space. Housing artwork from Singaporean designer Tay Bak Chiang and The Cube Gallery London, 78 Elm Park Road boasts natural materials and their textured surfaces, moulding light and shadow to form soft organic landscapes for the eyes to roam.
The studio activated key structural work, opening up the living and kitchen arenas which were previously two separate rooms. The new layout takes advantage of the southern light and alluring gardens, bringing the outside in.
Anca Enica was inspired by her extensive travels to China, Japan and South Korea, reflected in the red hues and soft beach shade of the kitchen. She worked in collaboration with Huma Kitchens in Italy to design this space, whereby the restored full length sash windows welcome copious light stretching through to the hallway. Striking pieces pepper the kitchen such as the DCW Editions pendant above the worktop, reflecting the new space age movement to integrate modernity, and designed to light up a room like a shooting star.
The living space boasts a Misura Emmer bookcase, Vincent van Duysen black coffee table dusted with items such as an Anissa Kermiche female torso, an Acquisitions fireplace, Soho Home sofa, Relic London artwork and wooden sculpture, and an understated rug by Nordic Knots. The adjacent and open dining area, showcasing a Tom Dixon table and chairs, is overlooked by a clean J Adams Luna pendant, again embracing the space age thread.
Honouring a neutral palette with paintwork by French label, Argile, the master bedroom boasts 3D wallpaper by new Swedish company BelarteSTUDIO, a Hope by Luceplan pendant, and Orluna downlighting. The second bedroom - with custom joinery by Neatsmith and a Neverending Glory La Scala L pendant by Lasvit - also acts as a study and library overlooking the road. Elsewhere, the master bathroom integrates a combination of Domus tiles, a Porcelanosa basin and microcement from Design Concrete.
A former corporate lawyer, Anca yearned to travel the world and pursue an entrepreneurial path. She attended business school and co-founded a boutique business focused on educational travel whereby she connected with figures from all corners of the world, from Silicon Valley, Brazil and South Africa, to the UAE, China and Japan, naturally accumulating a vast memory bank of cultural influences which now inform her work at Atelier Chelsea Design.
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