Rolling Stones Guitarist Ronnie Wood Strums Out of Artistic London Lair
As rockstar homes go, Ronnie Wood’s London lair — recently listed at $4.98 million (£3.85 million) — isn’t the most lavish or ostentatious of residences, but it’s filled with the kind artistic quirks that earmark the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and fine artist’s colorful and creative lifestyle.
Wood has owned the five-bed, two-bath townhouse in the capital’s natty Notting Hill neighborhood with his actress wife, Sally Humphreys, since buying it in 2011 for $3.05 million (£2.35 million). Though the couple moved out of the property in 2017 and relocated to the nearby Little Venice neighborhood, Wood has continued to maintain the roughly 4,100-square-foot home as his art studio.
The distinctive deep purple front door is but a colorful hint of the technicolor extravaganza to come. Inside, at the parlor level — the “Raised Ground Floor,” per the listing — a double reception room extends nearly 40 feet, with French doors that open to a balcony. Refinished, original pine floorboards, a muted green tufted velvet sofa, and an original fireplace offer a bohemian but classy lived-in ambience augmented by ornate plaster moldings and eclectic artworks.
Located at the garden level, the kitchen is a semi-subterranean space with newer wide plank flooring, Shaker-style light wood cabinetry with oversized metallic door pulls and, natch, an up-to-date suite of luxury appliances, while light granite countertops and a rustic dining table complete the ensemble. Adjacent is a sitting room awash in soothing cream colors offset by vibrant paintings and a couple of jewel-toned upholstered chairs.
Prior to joining the Stones in 1976, Wood was a member of the Faces along with Rod Stewart. The group would often set up a bar (complete with a barman) on stage to supply them with beverages during a show. His love of pub-like atmospheres is clearly evident from the formal dining room, which has been done up to resemble a snooker room with traditional snooker club lighting fixtures.
Regal and eye-catching purple-carpeted stairs lead back up to the parlor floor, the hallway of which is festooned in cherry red carpeting accented with orange drapes. On the walls hang a broad array of Wood’s original paintings, with a portrait of The Queen only inches away from band mate Keith Richards — a coupling unlikely to happen in real life. Of course, being in a band like the Rolling Stones, the home was never likely to be dressed up in earth tones and understated furnishings. This is no more evident than in one of the bedrooms where closet doors are painted turquoise closet doors and hot pink drapes hang over the windows. Wall art here features a portrait of Miles Davis plus a couple of guitars hanging above the traditional, chateau-esque fireplace.
The third floor, which could easily accommodate two additional bedrooms, has been converted entirely to an artist’s studio. With a daring combination of peach walls and turquoise drapes over French doors that lead out to a balcony, the space is filled with natural light thanks to two huge rectangular skylights.
Victorian row houses in the heart of London aren’t traditionally known for their lavish exterior spaces, but Wood has made the most of his with a conservatory that opens to a picturesquely unkempt fairytale-like garden with towering trees and and a vine strewn arbor that arches over an evergreen patch of faux grass.
“Ronnie furnished and decorated the house to make it the vibrant and eclectic home it now is and created a large but cozy, characterful setting for his family,” listing agent Marie Harrison of the Milton Stone agency in London said in a statement issued to Mansion Global, the first outlet to report the listing. “Together with the sizable mature garden to the rear, the property has airy, spacious rooms, many of which have the original fireplaces, pitch-pine floors and floor-to-ceiling windows.”
Wood was due to tour the U.S. with the Rolling Stones during the summer as part of the ongoing “No Filter” tour, which was postponed due to Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Stones are working on material for a new album, with band members contributing their parts remotely.
Launch Gallery: Inside Ronnie Wood's Bohemian London Home
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