Interior designer Margot Paton
Ever wondered what the home of an interior designer looks like? Margot Paton invites us to step across the threshold of her stunning West End pad to find out.
Undoubtedly, the most successful homes are the ones that reflect the owner’s personal style. And in Margot Paton’s case, the interior designer’s home is every bit as cool, elegant and chic as the lady herself. So it’s a surprise to learn that the design director at Chelsea Mclaine Interior Design had to be
persuaded to view the property in the first place.
“My son Matt and colleague Catherine arranged the viewing appointment. I had made an offer on a traditional conversion with fabulous gardens but was unsuccessful and really didn’t think I wanted to live in an apartment. But within five minutes of walking into my now home, I had made an offer and it was accepted.”
The apartment is in the much admired former telephone exchange building in the West End and was essentially a blank canvas, which Margot and her partner David relished. “We made a lot of changes. We reconfigured the kitchen, dining and living spaces to be open plan make it a more social space,” explains Margot.
“We made the bedrooms en suite to give overnight guests their own space. We also created a laundry room on the mezzanine floor directly above the kitchen, which is a huge bonus when living in an apartment.
"The living space (main picture) is an eclectic melting pot of textures and fabrics ranging from the plush, deep pile rug to the tassel-trimmed, delicate silver grey Matthew Williamson silk Roman blinds, while in the dining space (below) the neutral tones perfectly showcase our art – which gives us pleasure every day and reflects our personalities."
In her daily duties of managing the Bearsden and recently opened West End Chelsea Mclaine showrooms and advising clients on their interior decisions, Margot works with a huge list of suppliers and knew who to work with and what style she liked for her own home.
She also draws much of her inspiration from travelling but her ideas are far grander in scale and ambition than simply adding a few rugs from Marrakech or ceramics from Greece. “David and I recently returned from a trip to Japan and we’re currently in the process of extending the top floor accommodation to include a garden room inspired by our journey. The natural light at roof level is amazing in both summer and winter and we would like to benefit from this. We also plan to redesign the roof garden with ideas we collected from courtyard gardens in Kyoto.” And you thought carrying that six foot elephant home from Africa was impressive.
photos Susie Lowe