Simply divine

Knapp displays a similar pared-down aesthetic at the home that she shares with the fashion entrepreneur Michael Pearce, who is currently resurrecting the iconic Biba brand. Elegantly sparse, the split-level apartment occupies a 19th-century villa in Notting Hill.

“The proportions are incredible and the light just pours in,” says Knapp. “It’s Grade II-listed because of all the original plasterwork. We decided it needed just a few simple, beautiful pieces, because the interior is already so divine.”

Instead of cluttering the sitting and dining rooms, carefully selected pieces are given room to breathe: colour and composition is all. Strong, sculptural forms are thrown into relief by the neutral plaster walls, and two reconditioned 1930s velvet armchairs add a vibrant splash of green.

The look of the living space is intangibly Parisian: African carvings and reclining nudes in ornate gilt frames are combined with art-deco pieces and finds from the couple’s extensive travels — coral from a New York flea market, a Napoleon III tea set from Clignancourt in Paris, Barovier glass lights from Venice and delicate gold chairs from Florence. “Michael tried to throw them over his back and take them through customs,” Knapp says with a laugh. “Bringing things back from trips can be horrendous, though, if you get more than you bargained for — like the moths that emerged from our Moroccan poufs and chomped through my cashmere sweaters.”