Designer Francis Sultana's spectacular 18th century mansion decorated for Christmas

Christmas begins early for Francis Sultana: ‘I like to get the decorations up at the beginning of December – I want to have time to enjoy Christmas.’ For Francis, a busy interior designer with clients all over the world, and his partner David Gill, owner of the eponymous London gallery, this is usually party season. ‘In December 2019, we had people round for drinks three or four times a week,’ says Francis. And invitations to drinks in one of the loveliest rooms in the heart of London would be a draw, even without David’s dry wit and Francis’s considerable charm.

The couple lives in Albany, one of London’s most prestigious – and very private – addresses. The three-storey mansion was built in the 1770s around a courtyard in Piccadilly, by the architect William Chambers, for Viscount Melbourne. In 1791, it was sold to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. The name Albany House was given to it when, in 1802, it was converted with additions by Henry Holland into 69 bachelor apartments, known as ‘sets’. And the grandest of all – a double set in the original Melbourne mansion – is where Francis and David live.

‘We took it right back to the bricks,’ says Francis, of the splendid blue salon, Lord Melbourne’s former state dressing room, where Chambers’ plaster ceiling – the only one still extant in Albany – looks down on Francis’s bold and flamboyant interior. When the couple bought the set three years ago, nothing had been touched since 1958, when the previous owner had moved in. Francis brought in a team of 30 builders and expert craftspeople to work on the Grade I-listed set, including specialists from Hare & Humphreys, the historic conservation company, as well as the architect Tom Croft. The old canvas was taken off the walls – the traditional finish in Albany – replaced and attached with rabbit glue, as is correct. The original blue colour of the walls was discovered and recreated during the conservation process.

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If you ask how Francis can reconcile his contemporary interior aesthetic – many of his clients have collections of giant works of modern art – with a Georgian room, he sees no conflict. ‘Just look at some of Chippendale’s wild designs,’ he says. ‘And think of Robert Adam’s bright colour palette.’ Francis has kept to Adam-like pastels for this room and even embraced flowers; the huge floral rug by Mattia Bonetti was inspired by Andy Warhol’s Flowers Series prints. Thomas Chippendale designed the room’s original furniture, now all lost. ‘So I asked Mattia Bonetti to design a mirror to replace the Chippendale original,’ Francis explains. Its vast gold-leaf curlicues look completely at home here and its curves provide the perfect place for the seasonal display of Francis’s collection of antique glass eggs and their nest of mossy twigs.

The December parties cannot begin until the decorations are put up and, in previous years, that has been an occasion in itself. First to arrive, in the late afternoon, is the garden designer Alexander Hoyle. ‘Then Giud and Sarah from my office come by – they both love Christmas – and then our housekeeper joins in, too. We put on Christmas carols sung by Frank Sinatra and open the Champagne and the crisps,’ says Francis. ‘And, later on, we call in sushi from our favourite restaurant round the corner. The decorating can go on until 11 at night.’

The Christmas baubles, which Francis has collected over the years – some exquisite vintage ones, some quite kitsch – are taken out of storage in old Fortnum & Mason hampers. ‘The ceilings in here are over five metres high and the tip of the tree has to reach the top pane of the window,’ he says. Next door in the dining room, he and Alexander have surrounded the mirror and mantelpiece with a fringe of red Cornus sericea twigs, to match the patchwork red marble of the tabletop, which is laid for Christmas with a set of self-portrait plates depicting the artist Cindy Sherman in various disguises. The room is illuminated by tall gilded torchères in each corner, designed by Mattia Bonetti, which appear to grow out of bronze mesh stands that conceal radiators.

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In the low-ceilinged kitchen next door, the small breakfast table looks out over Albany’s elegant Rope Walk. The Plain English kitchen island and cupboards, painted in glossy brown, can be concealed by drawing across a curtain of brown unlined leather, so visiting caterers can work in peace, while allowing guests to walk through to the vast white salon beyond. Here, the monochrome scheme, the transparent Zaha Hadid desk – at which David works – the plump curving sofas and the shiny Garouste & Bonetti ‘Ring’ table are all classic Francis Sultana, with the festive addition of some gilded twigs and lights above the fireplace.

In the space above the kitchen’s low ceiling is Francis’s peaceful bedroom and, before you reach it, his luxurious bath in the corridor. Ceramics by Jean Cocteau are displayed near the internal window beside the bath, with drawings by the Russian-born surrealist Pavel Tchelitchew on the walls. By contrast, the bedroom is almost monastic in its simplicity, its walls partitioned by leafy plaster pilasters reminiscent of Syrie Maugham – one of Francis’s favourite decorators. It is a calm haven after the bustle of Christmas lunch, which Francis loves to cook for quite a crowd – a mix of friends who have not been able to get away from London and his cousin’s family. ‘It has got so complicated lately. Now we have vegans, vegetarians and those who want fish, while David and I like turkey and all the trimmings,’ says Francis. ‘Then everyone sits down to watch the Queen’s speech.’ His blue salon is almost as grand as the monarch’s surroundings, viewed on the television, though there are paintings here that would never be seen on the walls at Sandringham.

Francis Sultana: francissultana.com