At home with Laura Fantacci: colour and timeless interiors

For fashion editor and Wardrobe ICONS co-founder Laura Fantacci, personal style is about choosing pieces you love and will want to keep for years to come. It’s a philosophy that extends beyond her wardrobe and into the interiors of her London home.

Working with interior designer Emma Stevenson, Laura transformed a small shower room into a colourful family bathroom, created a more grown-up bedroom for her youngest daughter, Vera, and brought fresh colour to the laundry room.

The resulting spaces combine patterned fabrics, vintage finds and playful decorative details, with Edward Bulmer Natural Paint colours Pompadour, Cuisse de Nymphe Émue and Duck Egg bringing a distinctive character to each room.

We spoke to Laura and Emma about their approach to decorating, choosing colours that stand the test of time and creating spaces that can evolve with family life.

A family bathroom in Pompadour

The brief for the bathroom was to create a space that could be enjoyed by everyone in the family, combining elegance and practicality with a little playfulness.

As Emma explains:

“The brief was for a family bathroom that could be enjoyed by all the ladies of the house, big and small: elegant, timeless, feminine and a small hint of playfulness to please all ages.”

Pompadour was chosen for the panelling, introducing a rich pink to the scheme.

The colour works alongside patterned fabrics and carefully selected decorative details, including a scalloped painted pelmet that gives the room a distinctive finish.

Rather than relying on a conventional pale pink, the scheme demonstrates how a stronger shade can feel equally at home in a family bathroom.

Cuisse de Nymphe Émue in Vera’s bedroom

For Vera’s bedroom, Laura and Emma wanted a softer approach that would feel appropriate as she grew older.

They chose Cuisse de Nymphe Émue for the walls, a delicate, dusty pink with a subtle, grown-up character.

Laura describes it as:

“Such a beautiful shade of pink, feminine without being sugary. It’s warm and cosy but has a grown up quality to it. It’s timeless.”

The room also features an Ottoline patterned blind, with a matching pinboard and seat cushion bringing together the different elements of the scheme.

Emma kept the painted detailing relatively simple, allowing the fabrics and furnishings to introduce pattern and personality.

The result is a bedroom that feels playful and welcoming without being tied to a particular age.

Duck Egg in the laundry room

Elsewhere in Laura’s home, Duck Egg brings a soft blue-green to the laundry room.

A gentle, versatile shade, Duck Egg is a lovely choice for a practical space, introducing colour without overwhelming the room. It also offers a fresh contrast to the pinks used in the bathroom and bedroom.

Together, the three colours demonstrate Laura’s approach to decorating: choosing distinctive shades that feel personal and can be enjoyed for years to come.

Designing rooms that grow with the family

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is the way Emma approached the decorating process.

Rather than starting with paint colours, she began by looking for a fabric that Laura particularly loved.

Once they discovered the Ottoline tulip design, it became the starting point for the wider scheme.

Emma explains:

“Once we found the Ottoline tulips that Laura fell in love with I knew I could build the scheme around that.”

The colours were then selected to complement the fabric, creating a connection between the bathroom and Vera’s bedroom.

Laura and Emma also introduced a mixture of vintage pieces and more affordable decorative accessories, allowing smaller details to be changed over time without having to redecorate the entire room.

It’s a practical approach to children’s interiors: invest in the elements you want to keep, then use textiles and accessories to introduce personality.

In conversation with Laura Fantacci

Has your interest in fashion influenced the way you decorate your home?

“Probably fashion, even though decorating my home has received more of my attention! But fashion was my first love.”

Laura’s interest in clothes and personal style led her to establish Wardrobe ICONS, which focuses on carefully chosen pieces designed to remain relevant beyond seasonal trends.

That same appreciation for longevity has influenced her approach to decorating.

Do you find styling your home as easy as putting together an outfit?

“Absolutely not. I was quite surprised to realise that I’m actually very, very indecisive.”

Although Laura feels confident making fashion decisions, she found that decorating presented a different challenge.

That’s why she turned to her friend and interior designer Emma Stevenson for guidance, helping her make choices she would be happy to live with for years.

What is your favourite Edward Bulmer paint colour?

“Cuisse de Nymphe Emue is such a beautiful shade of pink, feminine without being sugary. It’s warm and cosy but has a grown up quality to it. It’s timeless.”

The colour was a particularly fitting choice for Vera’s bedroom, where Laura wanted a pink that wouldn’t quickly feel too young.

What’s your advice for creating a more considered personal style?

“I encourage women to find their personal style and embrace it fully. This way you can be more selective and won’t fall victim to trends that are only feeding consumerism.”

Although Laura was speaking about fashion, the same principle can be applied to interiors.

Choosing colours, fabrics and furniture because you genuinely love them, rather than because they’re fashionable at a particular moment, can help create a home that feels more personal.

Is there a piece in your home that you’ll always treasure?

Laura’s answer is a mid-century lamp inherited from her parents.

Growing up in Florence, she remembers it standing beside her father’s chair as he read the newspaper.

The lamp has accompanied her through several homes and eventually found a place in Vera’s bedroom, beside her desk.

It’s a lovely example of how treasured objects can bring personal history into a newly decorated room.

Timeless colour for the family home

Laura and Emma’s project demonstrates how thoughtful colour choices can create spaces that feel personal, practical and designed to last.

From Pompadour in the family bathroom and Cuisse de Nymphe Émue in Vera’s bedroom to the soft blue-green of Duck Egg in the laundry room, each shade brings its own personality while contributing to a cohesive scheme.

Patterned fabrics, vintage furniture and playful accessories add individuality, with details that can be updated as the family’s needs and tastes evolve.

Explore Pompadour, Cuisse de Nymphe Émue and Duck Egg, or order A5 colour cards and sample pots to discover your own palette.

For more inspiration, follow Laura Fantacci, Wardrobe ICONS and Emma Stevenson Studio.

Interior design: Emma Stevenson Studio. Photography of the Pompadour bathroom: Eva K. Salvi.