The brief here was that this needed to be a comfortable family home that contained an important contemporary art collection in an integrated, unshowy way. The client is passionate about art furniture, and we liked the idea of using French mid-century art pieces that would work well with the academia of living in a Lutyens house from 1899. In other words, we threw two opposing vernaculars together to see if we could make marry, knowing that the most important element here was to make the home comfortable and fit for purpose. As the place is already a great English country house, we were keen to keep it modest in feel inside and used mostly neutrals; all is painted off-white on the original plaster wall finish. This quiet and restrained backdrop was crucial for the furniture which was simple and would have felt crowded with too much pattern or colour. Pieces by Perriand, Anish Kapoor, Lutyens, Anselm Kiefer, Grayson Perry, Hoffman and Donald Judd sit quietly here. The whole project was an exercise in restraint and care – everything in the home is thoughtful and highly considered, resulting in a feeling of stillness and integrity.