Richard Found has two small children - not that you’d know it from his immaculate, unexpectedly modern Chelsea townhouse. It’s not that he doesn’t have stuff, it’s just that, when he designed the interior of the house, completely from scratch, he put in more storage than most people would consider necessary.

This means he and his wife, Jane, can hide all the detritus of everyday living - from the coffee machine to children’s crayons.

Found describes himself as “naturally tidy” - it would be impossible to make this look work if you weren’t. “I’m the kind of person who has to tidy the house before I can do any work in the office,” he admits, “although I have relaxed a bit since having children. I’ve realised there are more important things in life.”

The couple’s elegant, minimalist home is a reflection of what they do for a living - she works for a private art collector, specialising in contemporary work, and he runs his own interiors company, designing shops and residences for a number of well-known clients. (Commissions include Anya Hindmarch’s acclaimed London stores and Claudia Schiffer’s pad.) It is a perfect marriage of these two disciplines: pristine white walls are the ideal backdrop for the ever-changing display of bold artworks, and the sleek lines, high-end finishes and storage tricks exemplify Found’s detailed approach to retail design.

Despite the vast acres of (pretty much) empty space, it is a relaxed family home. This is down to the personalities of its owners, who are friendly, easy-going and great entertainers - the downstairs space was designed around their love of dinner

parties. “I do the cooking - Jane’s only dish is scrambled eggs,” Found says. “I love sitting down to a big Sunday roast with a host of friends and their children.”

It is this warmth that has made the house a home. “It was a dream project,” he adds. “I made a space that was all about our family life - I made a checklist of what we did in a week, then designed the house around that.”

The furnishings of the five-bedroom house includes several well-chosen design classics such as a set of Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs around the dining table and the Eames Lounge Chair Wood in the upstairs living room. There are also a few surprises - the antique wingback chairs and the brightly painted bunk beds in five-year-old Olivia’s bedroom, for example. “It was Jane and Olivia’s rebellion against me,” Found says. Now, it’s up to five-month-old Oscar to make his mark.

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