When interior designer Jayne Wunder was asked by her long-time client, a 40-something business man from the UK, and his wife to design a family home for them in London, Jayne was excited at the prospect.

‘The last thing I wanted to do was create a typical English-style home,’ says Jayne, ‘but I also didn’t want to transport my South African style to London. So I focused on the fact that my clients are newly-weds and set about creating a space with a strong sense of balance between masculine and feminine aesthetics. I’ve tried to play with unexpected combinations of patterns, shapes and textures to create an intriguing duality between the sexes. The finished product, I hope, is an understated yet sumptuous contemporary home that is bursting with a strong sense of sexuality and vibrancy.’

I first met Jayne three years ago on the sea-facing deck of a spectacularly stylish holiday home in Llandudno, which she had just redesigned and decorated for one of her British clients, a busy, 30-something father of two young boys. What struck me about Jayne’s style was the finely tuned, seamless interplay she’d created between minimalism and luxury. Fast-forward three years and I’m standing in the entrance hall of a Jayne Wunder-designed family home in Regent’s Park.

Coincidentally, it’s the same client, though his brief has changed somewhat. Instead of a beachside holiday home in sunny South Africa, he and his wife asked Jayne to create a family home for them. Again, Jayne has created a minimalist masterpiece characterised by a strong sense of warmth, energy and originality.

‘Designing this house was a dream come true for me,’ says Jayne. ‘In my 20 years in this industry, I’ve only imagined what it would be like to dress a home with the best of the best – Christian Liaigre furniture and Serge Mouille lights – and I was finally allowed to play in my fantasy space.’ The result is a beautifully appointed, immaculately finished home in the heart of London.

Like most of the terraced houses in the area, celebrated British architect John Nash designed this building, which dates back to the 1820s. The fact that it’s part of a long row of terraces in the heart of palace country is your only geographical locator – inside, the house is decidedly ‘un-London’.

‘The future of design is more international and more open than ever,’ says Jayne. ‘I’ve tried to design a home that could live comfortably anywhere in the world.’ However, being a listed property, Jayne was restricted in terms of the structural renovations she could make. ‘The original stone staircases and banisters remained, as did the wooden floors in the living room. But I stripped the bathrooms and the kitchen. So, even with all the mod cons and contemporary finishes, the old soul of the house is still very much alive.’

Stepping through the front door onto the soft, leather-like sandstone tiles, Jayne’s signature monochromatic palette is evident. A Christian Liaigre lamp is flanked by a high-gloss buffalo horn on a hammered-iron Liaigre table. ‘I’ve used my signature scheme of taupes, coffees and creams, but because the light is so different in London and the weather that much colder, I had to go a tone or two darker to create warmth,’ explains Jayne. ‘I’ve also combined a variety of seemingly contrasting materials – like bronze and lacquer – to create textural interest. In pared-down interiors, it’s the textures and layers, and how you combine them, that create the energy and mood.’

The living room, Jayne’s favourite, is an exercise in symmetry: two original 1950s Eames lounge chairs on either side of an Eames ottoman take pride of place in front of the original fireplace, which is flanked by two ebony-stained, Macassar timber and metal Liaigre cabinets and dramatically overhung by an ‘overtly sexual’ photograph by South African artist Tracy Payne. ‘I love the sense of balance that dominates the room – it symbolises the interplay between the sexes, which on the surface is restrained, but there’s an urgency that lurks beneath. I’ve used feminine fabrics like linen seat covers and De Le Cuona peasant cloth for the curtains to offset the more masculine elements, like the solid-bronze Liaigre coffee table and shelves. It’s these unusual combinations that create the intriguing duality.’

The dining room is a highly stylised space, where a few perfectly placed, beautiful-quality pieces help create an air of understated luxury, without a hint of ostentation. An oval dining table by Knoll and dining chairs by Liaigre are presided over by a floor-to-ceiling window that’s barely covered by a pair of sheer curtains. ‘I’m not interested in following fashion fads,’ says Jayne, ‘I try to find unique and interesting ways of achieving my objectives. So, an obvious choice for curtains in a formal English dining room might have been heavily lined velvet drops, but I went for a more feminine look.’ The striking black-and-cream -lacquered Armani Casa bar cabinet adds drama, while the two nude artworks by London artist Predrag Pajdic echo the sense of sexuality Jayne was trying to create throughout. The masculine-feminine theme is further reflected in the pairing of soft linen cushions on the solid, leather-clad Liaigre  benches.

But the main event – and one that your eye is drawn to immediately – is, without doubt, the seven-armed Serge Mouille ceiling lamp, which was custom-created for this space. ‘I love the daringness of Mouille’s designs. He strikes a perfect balance between form and function. And the precision of the craftsmanship is unmistakable and unparalleled.’

Decked out from floor to ceiling in custom-made Poliform furniture, the main bedroom epitomises luxurious minimalism. The sleek lines and quality craftsmanship of these Italian-designed pieces are beautifully offset by the sensuality of the Tracy Payne artwork above the bed. ‘I chose the Castiglioni-designed Taccia lamps by Flos for the bedside tables because of their voluminous shape, which adds a feminine sensuality,’ says Jayne.

So, once again, Jayne Wunder has achieved the near impossible: against a backdrop of monochromatic hues and stark minimalism, she has managed to create a sophisticated and luxurious living space that’s alive with energy and warmth.