A Private View: Martin Brudnizki’s 17th-century apartment is a grand and joyful vision of life beyond the city

“Hallways are important spaces,” declares Martin Brudnizki as he stands in the wide entranceway of his West Sussex apartment, the walls of which are painted Edward Bulmer’s ‘Invisible Green’, a lively, grassy shade that is anything but. “They need to have a point of view.” 

And this one certainly has. With a mini sculpture gallery showcasing a collection of plaster reliefs, artwork and a long, theatrical velvet curtain – delineating the private areas of the two bedrooms and two bathrooms from the sociable kitchen and drawing room – it immediately speaks to the decorative flair which its owner is renowned for.

As a designer best known for conjuring the fantastical interiors of some of the most glamorous city hotspots – New York’s The Beekman, La Fantaisie in Paris and Annabel’s in London – it’s surprising that Martin chose to set up home in the countryside, along with his partner, Jonathan Brook. “I love the city and of course we go into London for work, but being here allows me to switch off. I need the quietness,” he explains.

They discovered this apartment seven years ago after Martin, then based in the capital, decided to give in to his increasing desire for a rural retreat. The couple explored several counties, including Oxfordshire and Somerset, for what they thought would be a house, but that changed upon arriving in West Sussex. “The agent told us the history of this apartment and we were instantly interested in seeing it.”

Indeed, the property has a storied past. Set on the ground floor of Binderton House, a handsome Grade II* listed manor built in 1677, this was once the country residence of the former Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. He owned it from 1942 for 11 years while in the cabinet, and distinguished guests included Winston Churchill, for whom he served as Foreign Secretary and also deputy leader, and former US president, General Eisenhower, with whom he had meetings about the D-Day landings. 

The house was divided into seven flats back in the 1980s and Martin and Jonathan’s apartment is arguably the grandest, retaining lofty proportions and the impressive original drawing room. “I wanted to create an Arcadian fantasy of English country life,” says Martin. “I’ve added much more personality than I did with my London home. I really wanted to make everything very joyful.”

To that end, the drawing room is a display of turbo-charged maximalism – an intoxicating melange of pattern, colour, antique furniture, well-thumbed books, and classical paintings largely sourced by Jonathan, set against a golden backdrop. “I always wanted a yellow drawing room,” says Martin. “The room is east-facing, so in the morning it feels particularly special.” At one end of the room is a fireplace that Martin describes as “the most unimpressive one I had ever seen” until the removal of several layers of white paint revealed ornate carvings. “I immediately knew I had to gild them,” he smiles. “It works very well with the yellow because it blends in beautifully,” Jonathan agrees. “This room never gets boring. Because the proportions are so big, it’s very calming and has a dreamy, cinematic feel.”

Despite the house’s listed status, Martin was able to make some sympathetic changes such as levelling door heights off the hallway (the kitchen door was repositioned for a better sense of flow) and removing the false ceiling in the main bathroom. This was given further grandeur with a mix of Arabescato and Giallo Siena marble, as well as fittings from Martin’s bathroom collection with Drummonds. 

The kitchen’s height of 3.7 metres posed its own challenge. “You could not have cabinetry in the traditional, horizontal way,” says Martin. His approach was to create a ‘tower’ with a decorative finial in each corner of the room to conceal humdrum necessities. “One has the washer-dryer, another is the fridge freezer, another holds glassware and the last is a utility,” says Martin. The Arabescato marble splashback adds to the drama and the walls are adorned with decorative plates, including ones once owned by decorating doyenne Nancy Lancaster, and a large textile hanging in the eating area. 

There’s a delightful explosion of pattern in the bedrooms. The main bedroom was reordered to include a dressing area with Pierre Frey fabric wardrobe fronts. The print ‘Lustmore’ by Jean Monro was used throughout, combined with a pink ceiling and woodwork. The tented guest bedroom, meanwhile, is swathed in a striped textile Martin designed with Christopher Farr Cloth.

The four-acre gardens include a meadow at the front of the house; their own private garden is accessed through the drawing room. To their delight, the couple have discovered their green fingers and established a hydrangea garden, while Martin’s decorative touch has extended outdoors, incorporating ornaments and outdoor seating. 

The couple initially used their apartment as a weekend escape but its magnetic pull means they currently live here full-time. “We’ve got to know so many wonderful people,” says Jonathan. “There’s also a lot to do if you choose. Goodwood is a short drive away and you can get to the antique shops of Petworth in just 25 minutes.” The coast is an easy 15-minute drive. “In the summer, we go to a quiet beach with a picnic and a bottle of wine. It’s magical.”

Just a 90-minute drive to Chelsea where Martin’s studio is based, Binderton House was the perfect introduction to country living. The bittersweet result is that living here has deepened Martin and Jonathan’s yearning for a rural life. With their much-loved apartment on the market, they now have plans to move to a more remote setting. But with that comes a rare opportunity to own a slice of architectural history, designed by one of the industry’s most celebrated tastemakers.

“It is an extremely special and unique place and we will miss it enormously,” says Martin. “But we are sure the next owners will love and cherish it as much as we have.”