An American Fashion Designer’s Smart, Sophisticated London Flat
Gay Gassmann
·6 min read
When American fashion designer Jason Basmajian decided to remain in London full-time, he went on the hunt for a community with a New York vibe. Some 25 years in fashion had this tastemaker moving from his hometown of Boston to New York, Milan, and Paris with regular visits for work in Asia. “I was living previously in Mayfair, but it was not really a community,” he says, looking back. “I wanted a more vibrant neighborhood, and being an ex–New Yorker, I wanted to find a place that had life, diversity, and proximity to green space.” It turned out Kentish Town, in the city’s northwest, fit the bill and was close to the Eurostar railway station for his weekly commutes to Paris.
Basmajian’s extensive search turned up an industrial building that was in the process of being converted. The designer—drawn to the loft-like feel of the building and the very New York amenities, including a 24-hour doorman and a gym, unusual for London—put in an offer. Soon, he recalls, he was the owner of a brand-new apartment, the building’s first, “stepping over contractors and buckets of plaster.”
Jason Basmajian
In the home office, the oak desk with bronze hardware was designed by Teresa Hastings and the desk chair is by Danish furniture designer Børge Mogensen. The bronze objects are Liaigre. The rug is Gabbeh tribal and the daybed is covered in Kvadrat velvet.
Stepping into this second-floor apartment, one is greeted with rows of industrial windows and an open-floor plan. “I bought a shell; the idea from the beginning was to create an open space with public and private areas,” he says. The apartment, originally a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, was converted into a two-bedroom, two-bath. Basmajian also removed a wall to create a media space off the main living space. With three exposures, high ceilings, and oak flooring, it’s a loft space with a decidedly grown-up feel.
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Basmajian, who has spent his entire career in fashion, has long been interested in bringing together lifestyle, art, and design. He worked as his own interior designer for this flat and has done other projects for family and friends. (He is also currently advising a new art fair and developing a hotel project on coastal England, an hour from London.) “I want the balance between chic and elegant and comfortable and practical; my style is understated,” notes the designer, whose work is marked by compelling shapes, textures, scale, and surfaces. “I want to create warmth in an interior, I want you to want to be in it.”
An American Fashion Designer’s Smart, Sophisticated London Flat
American fashion designer Jason Basmajian designed the flat he shares with his partner, Jamie Wolpert, in northwest London. In the foyer, a console table is in smoked oak and on top sits ceramic vases by designer Lara Bohinc and a brushed and burnt oak bowl by furniture maker and wood turner Will Elworthy. The photographs are by German photographers Karl Hugo Schmölz and Albert Renger-Patzsch and Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. The industrial brass and glass light in the background is from Viaduct Furniture in London. Seating for the kitchen island are barstools by GamFratesi Studio for Gubi covered in wool velvet from Kvadrat.
Basmajian loves to cook and entertain, so this open kitchen/dining area is perfect. The wall unit to the left is by designer Charles Kalpakian with a bench below in blackened steel, brass, and horsehair. The cabinet on the right is vintage Danish in teak from O. Bank Larsen, and candlesticks by French-Swiss artist Ingrid Donat sit on the windowsill. The dining room table is waxed steel by Italian architect Maximilian Fuksas, and the Hurricane Bowl was a gift from designers Fredrikson Stallard. The chairs are vintage by Danish designer Niels Otto Moller, and on the left is a photograph by contemporary German artist Elger Esser.
Flooded with natural light, the main living area is anchored with an impressive coffee table in steel and glass designed by creative duo Fredrikson Stallard, who also designed the walnut and wool flannel lounge chairs in the foreground. To the left is a bronze table lamp, like a sculpture, by Atelier Van Lieshout, and the glass sculpture on the coffee table is by Danish artist Stine Bidstrup. The pair of rock crystal and brass side tables are from Flair in Florence, hand woven textile wool throws and rug by Teresa Hastings, and the teak lounge chair is by Swiss architect Pierrre Jeanneret. The art on the wall is a gouache by American artist Sol Lewitt, and the branches, plants, and flowers throughout the flat are from Scarlet & Violet in London.
The vintage Falcon chairs are by Norweigian designer Sigurd Resell, and the rosewood cabinet is by Danish furniture designer Arne Vodder. The desk lamp is by Dutch designer Louis Klaff, and the painting by Venezulan contemporary artist Alvaro Barrington. To the left is a bronze head by contemporary artist Stefan Bassir, which Basmajian received as a birthday gift. The carpet is from Christopher Farr, and the vintage stool is in rosewood. The photographs are called Desert Houses, by American artist Mark Ruwedel.
The bedding is from Belgian luxury linen company Libeco, and the sanded and smoked oak nightstand was designed by Basmajian. The wall lamp is from Original BTC, and the vase is Chinese 19th century. The photograph is by Karl Hugo Schmölz.
The painting is by British artist James White, and the pair of Italian 1940s chairs are covered in red mohair. In between stands a floor lamp by Niclas Hoflin for the Swedish brand Rubn. The stool is by Charlotte Perriand, and the bronze side table is by Milan-based architect and designer Vincenzo de Cotiis. The glass pitcher and tumbler are by glass blower Jochen Holz.
On the floor is a vintage kilim purchased during a trip to Rajasthan. The graphic wooden stool is from aptm Berlin. The ceramic vase is by London-based ceramic artist Abigail Schama.
In the home office, the oak desk with bronze hardware was designed by Teresa Hastings, and the desk chair is by Danish furniture designer Børge Mogensen. The bronze objects are Liaigre. The rug is Gabbeh tribal, and the daybed is covered in Kvadrat velvet.
The hallway leading to the entrance also serves as a little perch when coming and going. The teak chair is by Pierre Jeanneret, and the stool is by Charlotte Perriand. The rug is a 1940s tribal Gabbeh wool piece, and the walls are hung with works by Sol LeWitt and young Mexican artist Tania Franco Klein.
Jason Basmajian, in the main living area, which opens onto the media room.
Having moved in about three years ago with his partner, Jamie Wolpert, an entertainment executive, Basmajian filled their space with various collections, including ceramics and photography. “I tend to like works on paper and all art with spatial relationship and architecture,” he says of his taste in photography. “I’m curious.”
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