Assuming the mantle of a family business is no simple task. For some, it might be a lifelong dream; for others, an unwanted imposition.

It’s the former for sisters Rachel and Hannah Gurney – successors to the luxurious de Gournay homeware brand, founded in 1986 by their father, Claud Cecil Gurney and distributed in Hong Kong by Altfield Interiors – who have been literally surrounded by the family legacy since they were children.

"We grew up in a house just opposite Kensington Gardens, decorated by our father," they explain. "It was full of de Gournay wallpaper. We had exotic birds flying on the walls around our bedroom – every room was like a magical wonderland. It gave us both a very particular appreciation for decoration from a young age, especially for colour."

Today, Rachel is director of sales at the company, while Hannah oversees HR, public relations, marketing and design. The sisters have since moved away from their childhood home to an apartment in South Kensington, where they’ve resided since 2014. The home took about six months to find, but the search was well worth it.

The property fulfils all of the sisters’ criteria: proximity to their favourite London locales and the office, natural light, traditional architecture and enough space to entertain friends. "It’s the perfect size and in an ideal location next to London’s most beautiful parks," they say. "We fell in love with the Georgian architecture, with the large windows along one side that let the light stream in."

The sisters may not have moved too far from home, but their apartment is very much their own. "We designed the interior together – to be eclectic and surprising, but still homely and warm," they say, having  merged what were originally two separate apartments into one, opening up the mostly boxed-in ceilings to allow for more height and space.

"We played around with different styles and colours in each room." They turned to London-based interior designer Tara Craig, who provided advice that informed the vibrant home. The home is filled with artworks and antiques, reflecting the sisters’ love of antique shopping in France and Italy, as well as more modern pieces. "I love having a home filled with objects I collected over time, instead of feeling like everything was bought in a single premeditated moment," professes Hannah. "My home can better reflect my personality and taste that way."

The sisters elaborate, "Homes should reflect their owners, featuring objects they have collected from trips around the world and gifts from loved ones, placed in an arrangement that tells a story and conjures memories." Of course, the home is filled with plenty of de Gournay wallpaper, too. Hannah highlights the Badminton design in her bedroom as her favourite – a classic chinoiserie design painted onto a unique background of silver-leaf gilded paper.

Resplendent as the abode is, it’s still very much a home, filled with personal effects and – thanks to the dinner parties the sisters love to throw – the laughter and chatter of friends.

"Too often, people sacrifice comfort for design," they say. "There’s no point having a beautiful home if you can’t relax in it. You shouldn’t be scared of having a glass of wine on the sofa, of letting the dog jump on the bed or of making a mess in the kitchen." 

Seeing the character and creativity Hannah and Rachel have infused into their home, it’s fascinating to imagine what they might have in store for De Gournay’s future. "De Gournay was always seen as a company making very traditional 18th-century wallpapers," Rachel says. "My sister and I encouraged the creation of a more modern aesthetic – reinterpreting the classical chinoiserie designs by employing innovative new techniques and colourways." Watching these two usher the traditional craft into a new era is a treat indeed.

Photography by Simon Brown

See also: Inside the Home of the Sixth Generation Leading Christian Fischbacher

A version of this article originally appeared in our June 2017 issue.