Maison Colbert is a home for the couple and their two children and includes studios, offices and an exhibition space spread over four floors …
Surrealist artists Charlotte and Philip Colbert met ten years ago in London, bonding over a shared love of philosophy. Charlotte is the half-sister of Jemima (Goldsmith) Khan; Philip’s parents are Irish. He was brought up in Perth in Scotland but spent summer holidays in Connemara and Donegal. His mother lives in Monkstown in Co Dublin and Philip visits regularly. “I grew up immersed in Irish art and artists. We would visit the National Gallery and take the Dart to Howth to visit painter and scupltor Benedict Byrne.”
The couple work from their vast home/gallery space in Spitalfields, East London. They describe creating their extraordinary home as a “labour of love” which took four years to complete. “We were fortunate to live in rented accommodation beside the house so we could monitor progress,” explains Philip. They enlisted their friend, architect Chris Dyson, to design the 500sqm space (from four townhouses), with additional help from Buchanan Studio, former set designers known for their cool aesthetic. La Colombe d’Or art hotel in St Paul de Vence in the South of France, where magnificent art is coolly and casually displayed as part of the interior, was their inspiration.
The townhouses were pared back to their original architectural shells and linked to create the perfect backdrop for the theatricality of the decor and an impressive collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. The result is Maison Colbert, which is a home for the couple and their two children and includes studios, offices and an exhibition space spread over four floors. “We both like living spaces that unite fantasy and function,” explains Philip.
How does it feel, living and working together, in the same space? “It’s challenging, exhilarating and infuriating, living and working with Philip,” laughs Charlotte, whose work includes writing and directing films. Anointed by the late André Leon Talley as “the godson of Andy Warhol”, Philip’s art features playful lobsters in all shapes and sizes and all media – paintings, sculptures, products, even clothes. The lobsters are a symbol of his duality, he says. “To the Scottish I was Irish and vice versa. I always saw myself as a lobster at the bottom of the Irish Sea,” he teases, before adding: “The character of the lobster is accessible to a wide audience. I love taking risks. I get to push boundaries which I find inspiring. My art is a celebration and a transfer of energy.”
“Our work is a juggling act,” says Philip. “When Charlotte is making a film, I stay at home and vice versa.” Philip currently has exhibitions in Rome and Singapore while Charlotte’s latest film She, Will, a psychological horror starring Rupert Everett, premiered last December.
Like her husband, Charlotte loves symbolism. She explains her fascination with fallopian tubes whose form she works into mirrors, jewellery, furniture: “It harks back to pre-patriarchal times when there was a different power structure. Feminist philosopher Barbara Kruger said women’s bodies are political battlegrounds. All parts of the woman’s body feature in my practice.” Charlotte’s Boob Bath comprises 108 silicone breasts. “That was fun to create,” she laughs.
The Colberts in their double-height living room. The sofa and armchairs are by Oliver Gustav. The coffee table is by Buchanan Studio x Charlotte Colbert. Photograph by Alex Bramell.
The concierge bar and elevator, designed by Buchanan Studio, is a nod to Wes Anderson’s film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Photographs by Christopher Horwood.
In the dining room, Charlotte’s Muse table, with Matilda Goad’s candelabra and seashell. Photograph by Christopher Horwood.
Charlotte’s Boob Bath was made using 108 silicone breasts. Photograph by Alex Bramell.
The Lobster bedroom was designed by Philip. In this picture, Philip is wearing his own designs: his wearable art collection includes a collaboration with Adidas. Photograph by Alex Bramell.
Charlotte’s Womb bedroom with Marshmallow bedside table. Photograph by Christopher Horwood.
The en suite bathroom of the womb bedroom. Photograph by Christopher Horwood.
