English Living
Interiors
INTRODUCING DESIGN POWERHOUSE HELENA CLUNIES-ROSS
London, 2023 - Helena Clunies-Ross Design is a New York and London-based international design studio, writing the next chapter in great interior design. As former Design Director of Anouska Hempel Design, Helena has over a decade of experience and is regarded internationally as a leading creative mover and shaker in the industry.
Her portfolio encompasses a multitude of styles and genres, and her design ethos of understated luxury is an unmistakable thread through all her work. Though no two projects are the same, all are universally beautiful and timeless in their execution; exuding warmth and sophistication, from her use of clean lines and framed views to the placement of screens, bespoke pieces and the layering of textures.
In a single year, Helena will work on between six and ten projects across the globe, ranging from 2,500 to 30,000 sq/m, and is renowned for achieving a seemingly effortless balance of elegance and intelligent design. Her in-house team includes three of her sisters, one of which is her Design Director, Sophia Clunies-Ross. Working under Helena’s guiding hand, they run and manage various elements of the business; offering a highly skilled and personalised service for both residential and hospitality clients.
Since its inception five years ago, Helena has quickly grown from a British firm undertaking predominantly domestic projects, to an international design studio, delivering projects from concept design through to completion — from New York to Georgia; Manhattan, The Hamptons, Long Island and beyond.
Her work was recently included in Beta-Plus Publishing’s ‘Quiet Luxury’ coffee table style book, featuring her Tribeca Apartments project as one of only “18 exceptional private residences” around the world, showcasing the ultimate “understated yet luxurious style of each home and apartment, with exceptional attention to artisan craftsmanship and perfect execution down to the smallest details.”
Projects:
Townhouse (West Village, New York)
Helena Clunies-Ross Design was commissioned to work on the full interior design and gut-renovation of this unique 19th century townhouse, built by Stephen B. Peet in 1845.
Situated on a beautiful landmark West Village block, it is one of three remaining Greek Revival homes in the area.
The property was developed as a luxury, high-end single-family home and comprises an elevator, health spa with steam and infra-red sauna, movie theatre and a 32’ garden with south-facing terrace.
Lobby & Apartments (Tribeca, New York)
A Boutique building on one of Tribeca's most peaceful residential streets, consisting of nine residences.
Formally an oil cloth factory, the lobby has been designed to respect the original architecture whilst adding natural materials to complement and enhance. By combining original elements with contemporary counterparts, this lobby has been transformed into a serene and calm space.
The residences were designed with sensitivity and sophistication, combining natural fabrics, linens and reclaimed oak.
Helena’s bespoke product line — The Tribeca Collection (currently only available to private clients)— was created whilst designing these apartments and features a dining pendant, bookcases, armchairs and screens.
Loft Tribeca, New York
Helena’s latest project — a 2000 sq/ft loft in Tribeca — features an impressive 20ft patina bronze bookcase, designed specifically to accentuate the double height volume of the space, and made by a local metal worker in Brooklyn. Helena likes to support local crafts people wherever possible, utilising their talents over mass-production.
The loft is adorned with Japanese antiques, sourced from Galerie Was — a curators of furniture, objects and art based in New York — and a 16ft black olive tree that inhabits the living space, which had to be craned in through a fifth story window.
Helena’s entrepreneur client dreamt of a space that not only told a story of who he was—encapsulating his individuality—but of where he is now; “...we brought in part of Tribeca’s past into the interior spaces, displaying its industrial heritage through the materials and colour schemes, and achieved a dash of edginess that sets it apart from other spaces.”
The study showcases two pieces of artwork by Oregon artist and woodworker Julian Watts, one of which was commissioned to compliment ‘Crack’; a chiselled India Ink-stained maple masterpiece framed in Walnut. Other pieces include a sleek metal coffee table adapted in collaboration with ROOM; a Tribeca and Greenwich-based store presenting some of the world’s most renowned furniture and lighting designers, coupled with their own bespoke upholstery and cabinetry collections by founder and creative director Amy Crain, former editor at House & Garden.
Exciting projects and collaborations on the horizon will see Helena expanding back across the pond into Europe in 2024 and launching a family store down the line. Getting the Helena Clunies-Ross look, and a taste of understated luxury is just around the corner, with selected signature products and pieces inspired by her portfolio of projects, available for purchase coming soon.
