Interior design ideas: a glimpse inside gallery owner Jimi Lee's white home

As the director of a contemporary art gallery in London, Jimi Lee, perhaps unsurprisingly, lives in a house that is predominantly white. There is no place for frippery or extraneous details here – even the chimney breasts have been removed. “That was quite controversial with some of our English friends,” Japanese-born Lee says, “but I didn’t like the way the fireplaces dictated where the furniture went and how the room functioned.” Photograph: Alexander James

When Lee and her Italian husband Giovanni Brighi – who is currently setting up an osteria in east London, and also runs a cycling business in Milan – bought the three-bedroom east London property, it had two elaborate conservatories and had been decorated throughout in a shabby chic style. The couple’s brief to architecture practice Paul Archer Design was to create a simple, pared-back home that would accommodate their young family (the couple have two children, Hanna, nine, and Miki, four), as well as a modest collection of modern art and mid-20th century pieces. Photograph: Alexander James

By removing the conservatories and extending into the side return, Archer has created an open plan space that accommodates the kitchen and dining areas as well as a family room, which doubles as a guest bedroom. Polished concrete floors help to give the space a seamless, expansive feel, while the staircase’s simple white handrail (inspired by a design Lee spotted in sculptor Hans Arp’s Paris studio) adds a distinctly modernist touch. On the upper ground floor, the rear reception room is opened up with a large, minimally framed picture window, while the family bathroom on the same level features a striking circular piece of glass. Photograph: Alexander James

The new glazing opens the house up to the garden, appearing to pull the vegetation right into these crisp, white spaces; the views almost work as pieces of art in their own right. “I think people often assume that a modernist style house needs a very contemporary garden, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Lee says. “There is something quite lush and tactile about the planting that is a good contrast to the very simple spaces inside.” Photograph: Alexander James

There is a reason most art galleries have white walls: a plain white backdrop is one of the best ways to show off art. Lee and Brighi used Dulux Trade’s Vinyl Matt White throughout to create a unified backdrop for displaying contemporary art, as well as an eclectic collection of mid-20th century pieces. “White walls can get scuffed, but I’m not afraid of having to retouch the odd mark,” Lee says. Photograph: Alexander James

Texture is key when using a lot of white in a home. The couple opted to keep the original floorboards in certain rooms, giving them a light sanding and painting them with floor paint. In contrast to the smooth, newly plastered white walls, the boards have a worn quality that gives the spaces soul. They also provide a solution that is more economical and more ecological than installing a new timber floor. The choice of colour – Pale Walnut by Dulux – adds a touch of warmth. Photograph: Alexander James

Green is a good counterpoint to white, giving spaces a fresh feel. As well as creating a verdant garden, Lee and Brighi introduced green indoors with simple Venetian blinds and a large, moss-coloured sofa. On the landing, a mid-century planter has been filled with succulents to add another pop of green. Photograph: Alexander James

The trick to achieving a crisp, white space is to focus on the details: all the later additions to the property – fussy cornicing, French-style fireplaces – were removed and only the original features, such as the living room shutters, were retained. The couple opted not to have skirting boards and instead the walls were given a neat, 10mm shadow gap – a precise job that requires a good contractor (the couple used Matteblak). The angled spotlights are recessed into the ceiling, and ironmongery is powder-coated white so that it “disappears”. Photograph: Alexander James