The developer for whom Jean-Louis Deniot decorated this 5,000-square-foot duplex in London’s prestigious Belgravia neighborhood is wont to agree. The dining room’s table, chairs in Romo and Pasaya fabrics, and Blue Savoy marble mantel are custom. While many interiors commissioned on spec inevitably tend to be bland and impersonal, Deniot’s approach is different. “I try to convey a sense of nonchalance so that the decor doesn’t feel stiff,” he says. 

The four-bedroom home, which was previously three separate apartments, has numerous assets—a prime location, a double garden, its own front door, and lots of lateral space in a city where small rooms are the norm. Given that the clients for turnkey developments are for the most part from other countries, Deniot is particularly focused on creating a sense of place. 

Here, for instance, he installed floor-to-ceiling doors in the 18th-century English Adam style. While he is an unabashed fan of luxe details, in a project like this Deniot is conscious that he needs to strike a fine balance. “A developer wants everything to be very beautiful and luxurious, but also to be competitively priced,” he notes.