MING AND JERRY, LONDON
AT HOME, 22.02.23
It's around four in the afternoon when Ryan and Aaron, 7 and 5, arrive at home from school. The first starts playing with the family Cavalier King, the other goes to practice the piano. We are in London, in a five storey terrace house in the charming neighbourhood of Little Venice. The children are the sons of real estate investor Ming Chong and Jerry Ferguson, who arrived in the British capital 5 years ago from San Francisco.
“When the opportunity arose, we got involved here with the idea of our children growing up in one of the most international and multicultural capitals of Europe. We really like the balance between green spaces and beautiful architecture in this city, where each neighbourhood has its own identity and personality. We love the canals of Little Venice, the beauty it offers at every glimpse and the period buildings in white stucco. We had no doubts about identifying the type of home that suited our needs and made us feel at home”.
Ming had already lived in London in 1998, on the occasion of his MBA at the London Business School, and since then he has always cultivated a love for this city and a passion for architecture. It was he who carried out the renovation and the choice of furnishings.
“I wanted to take care of it personally, following my design instinct, thinking about how we would live the house. The kitchen is the place of the heart for our family, I wanted it to be central and well-lit. We are passionate about music, our children play the piano, which is the protagonist of the living room. And so on... for us it is essential that interests are shared and everyone's spaces are respected. We are very satisfied with the final result, which combines the ancient moldings with contemporary aesthetics”.
“I'm passionate about interior design and I consider it a factor that can influence my daily mood”.
In the five storey terrace house, where beautiful cornices and marble fireplaces follow one another, a large French window overlooks the front garden and floods the spaces on the ground floor with light. The kitchen was positioned there, two symmetrical walls in smoked oak, with a long island with a marble top in the centre.
“I chose a natural wood with a dark tone that matched the Victorian architecture and, for the same reason, the champagne finish for the handles, taps and doors with which the island is equipped. The marble worktop, on the other hand, recalls fireplaces”.
“We like hosting friends for dinner and the island in the center facilitates conviviality during food preparation. Not to mention the space available on the support surface for aperitifs!”.
Chatting with Ming and Jerry, it's five o'clock, the sun is setting and dinner is ready for the children: Chinese soup and pizza. Multiculturalism is also built at the table.
