How Alexandra Tolstoy made a rental house her own | House & Garden
Behind the neat red-brick façade of a classic Victorian terrace in London are interiors with a fairy-tale charm. As these combine English chintz and romantic-era Russian details with a gallery of wonders, it will not surprise regular readers of House & Garden - or her many Instagram followers - to learn that it is the latest home of the writer, explorer and polymath of style Alexandra Tolstoy and her three children, Aliosha, Ivan and Marusya.
What is surprising, given the layers of ornamentation, is that Alexandra decorated the house in just 10 days, following eviction from her previous home in Chelsea, after the Russian government claimed it against alleged debts owed by Alexandra’s ex and the father of her children, the oligarch Sergei Pugachev.
She has conjured magic from mettle, giving a masterclass in starting again, downsizing and decorating within the limits of a rental contract, while creating a beguiling home for her children full of treasures valued for reasons that do not relate to their cost. The best houses reflect the lives of those who live there; this is one of them.
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I love seeing people LIVING in their houses, filling it with the colours and patterns they love, surrounding themselves with objects that have a past and a story… This home isn’t done to anyone’s taste but her own. So refreshing!
Me too
Есть старинные иконы и посуда винтажная
She bought that dwelling on the money of her lover Пугачев who robbed Russia and its citizens thanks to his ties to the Russian President. She's his mistress. Her house is full of tasteless trash. Heavily overloaded. Seems she has nothing to do in her life.
@@es78xx except going straight into big box stores and …
finally a house that resembles the person who lives in it. truly personal and mesmerising
@emma Have a look at the real Alexandra Tolstoy in her other home in Chelsea London before her husband was done with stealing from Russia. We have a woman here that has done a 360 in style and attitude. Very interesting. All is not what it seems.
@@headron66 At last... A realistic comment. All is not what it seems. They play a game, most probably, he and her gangster hubby, to try and hold on to the ill gotten gains.
As the daughter of arty and intellectual Ukrainian immigrants to California, this is basically a version of our own home. It’s all a mad but somehow harmonious mishmash of Mexican folk art, Persian rugs, Russian iconography, Dutch tiles, nineteenth century California plein air landscapes, Chinese jade, carved wooden tables, lacquer boxes, medieval instruments, Hmong tapestries, Turkish copper ware, Swedish embroidered towels, towering plants, African masks, Quaker quilts, Indian textiles, thrift store Buddhas, matryoshka (nesting) dolls, Hopi Kachinas, Japanese prints, abstract paintings, bronze sculptures, tall oak bookshelves filled with art, lit, poetry and philosophy tomes, east-facing decorative corners crammed with gilded Madonnas, golden samovars, dried willow sprigs and hollowed-out painted pysanky eggs left over from all-night Easter vigils of years past. The kitchen shelves overflow with brightly painted roosters of every folk tradition imaginable. Color and a wild eruption of patterns dominate. Slavs just can’t help themselves.
gorgeous comment
I absolutely loved reading this comment. It’s like being taken on a journey. Thank you for sharing.
Id live to see this.....pictures?
so you don't have Uzbek plates?
Дом -коттедж Александры Толстой -это такая шкатулка, наполненная предметами разных эпох. Но выглядит очень мило и не как в музее. У вас однобокое представление о славянах, как-раз таки у славян минимализм и является основой культуры. Русский минимализм в Европе продвигает Гарри Нуриев, посмотрите его работы.
In an age of minimalism and bland decor, it is a breath of fresh air to see how exquisitely bohemian Alexandra's house looks with all the sublime patterns and colours. I love the look of antique Victorian crazy quilt on the bed at 11:00.
Yes I feel the same way. My friends n family say my house is too much it I love this look.
Paper Darts, while reading your comment, I was keenly aware of the word “bland.” I haven’t really liked the current home trends, and this single word, made me realize why! It’s like eating plain oatmeal. Yuck!
@@gaslitworldf.melissab2897 have improved somewhat after years of beige and white, then grey and white minimalism. But Boho seems to mean beige, for the most part, and seems to be highly featured now. I love color and a truly eclectic mix of items, what I call “Haute Bohemian,” and this house certainly fits nicely into that category.
The kitchen is minimal
areeeet soft shite
She inspired me so I woke up with the sun in my eyes and turned the head of my bed into the windows and completely changed the mood of the room and my husband says it’s magical.
I am Russian, but live in England. Alexandra’s house is absolutely stunning. There are many real beautiful Russian things. Amazing! 🌎Thanks a lot for this interesting video! 🌺
Похоже на музей, жить в музее непросто
Liubasha , чудесный комментарии 🤗
@@prime-time5 она, скорее всего, там и не живет
@@ilonar8060 Hate to barge into the Russian interaction, but she does actually live in this house _as you can see by how worn out the kitchen floor is, which she herself pointed to in this video. She's turned her country house into a rental. So she has no where else to live at the moment (aside from her parent's house of course, which is no solution for an adult woman with three children). She's shared in an interview recently that she's living off this small inheritance from a step grandfather (or some such,) and I'm assuming also from the rental money that she gets from renting out her country house. Alexandra is okay, but she's no longer swimming in money. Pugachev, the father of her children, has lost everything aside from this castle where he's living in France, and last I heard doesn't send her any money. A real man would sell the castle to help provide for his own children, but well people. My father never had any castle and yet my siblings and I were never in lack of anything. Recently I even found out (not through him of course) that he has even starved so that we could eat, when we were very little and my parents were very poor. And that is what a man and a father look like. Alexandra is an incredibly brave woman and she will forever have the admiration and respect of her children, the same I don't think will be said of their male progenitor.
@@selmahare I am Russian and I agree with your every word
Gorgeous home that is obviously filled with love. It's like a giant cuddle.
bit dusty though, not reckon?
@@tyra925 not really, but what's a home without a bit of dust anyway
I love that everything is interesting and has a story and is used. It looks like a house to live in and enjoy as opposed to a house that you have to slave away wiping every blemish and hiding everything behind fitted cupboards
This house is gorgeously authentic. So refreshing to see a house like this.
It is not house. It is museum.
@@gulnaragulnara4240 No, it’s very much a lived-in house, filled with beautiful things. Museums aren’t lived in like this.
It costs a fortune to be able to be this "authentic". Also you need to hire a cleaner to dust every little tchotchke. This person is not having to do any of that. The textiles budget alone in this house is probably my annual rent. I am happy for her but wealth is why a person can live in a place like this. Many authentic and artistic people in the world. Most don't have this cash.
Alexandra Tolstoy's home is beautiful with her personal touches.
Did the story of the photographer bother anyone else?
explain, please
@@timsfchristopher6131 I hope you're kidding🤗
@@rachelhendrickson7555 No, I'm not kidding; please explain. all of the comments are complimentary. As one commenter said "swooning". Are you seeing something (or looking for something) that the majority of us are just missing?
Thank you! I thot I was the only one.
@@timsfchristopher6131 I absolutely loved this vid. Unfortunately something negative wouldn't leave me alone. It was when she described the process of the photographer who took the pics of the kids. Rewatch it. 🤷 If this isn't enough of an explanation I have nothing more to say to you.
My goodness...the warmth, the colour, the designs, the beauty. Alexandra your home is absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing it with us xx
I'm sooo in love with this no rule style. I live in a small unit and on entering it is as rules dictate... you will see my living and dining. My bedroom is in a separate room out of mind out of sight. I'm actually contemplating changing that. I am seriously thinking of putting my bed in the main room with a screen and going crazy in the bedroom by transforming it into my living and dining. I love her style and rebellion. In love with it actually.
I think that's a marvelous idea.
I have a bed in the living room and the bedroom. I love having the freedom to choose.
Go for it. I'm about to turn my tiny bedroom into a library and put my bed into the main room, which is 3 times bigger. There will still be plenty of room for a dining area and a seating area.
I was thinking of doing the same but with my bedroom as a library/craft room 😊
I Love Alexandra's house it's like a personal museum very bohemian, colorful and she has beautiful style, I love it !!
I just love her design sense, combined with her lack of rules philosophy.
I love this. Wonderfully refreshing and authentic. So much nicer than the cold, dreary, soul-sucking minimalism that continues to be touted by the design media.
After seeing a ton of minimalist design on KZhead this is so fantastic!!! Lovely, absolutely lovely!!
That was an amazing feat. Find a rented house, move out of your own home at zero notice, gather up your kids and belongings and just go. But to turn a rented house into such a beautiful home in literally days, that takes some doing. Kudos to you.
I'd take with a pinch of salt
If I could show someone my ideal home style I would show them Alexandras.It's hard to put into words but it just makes you feel comfortable.Love it!
This home is prime for rainy lazy days! ☕📕 I absolutely love the colors and textures!
It’s amazing how much a house can take in. Lots of beautiful pieces and history.. colors and materials. Definitely feels like a home.
I agree-that is SUPER WEIRD. As a mother myself I would never leave someone alone with my kids……
All l can say is that she's is amazing and just fabulous just loved this video... loved her home just amazing design ...
This house is like being in a fairytale! I love everything!
I just love EVERYTHING about this house,the decor the colours it just overflows with warmth and love. I would simply love to live there. Alexandra is such a warm and cosy person.. from France 🇫🇷
This has got to be the most real and relatable video of this series ever. Talking about downsizing, renting and minimalism and the joy of it all. Amazing work.
A mother agrees to have her children photographed naked and is not allowed in the room - UM WOW - that's very shocking! 😮
I absolutely love her sensability, this is gorgeous. Everything about it is wonder-full.
This has to be my favorite home
Gorgeous. I especially love the paint colours on the walls and the Swedish armoire in the dining room.
I love her home, it’s just so harmonious and interesting.
I love her principle when it comes to house decoration. Such a practical person!She really appreciates and pay the highest respect to her own culture and values all the old furnitures and blends them very well together. Such a great home she has there. Love it!
Thank you for sharing this with us. It makes me happy to hear how you decided what to use in each room. The tenacity with which you move forward for your family is inspiring.
I love her decor. My mother’s living room and bedroom is so similar, full of history, warmth, love and eccentricity. :)
I wish this home tour was at least an hour long 😂,...Absolutely stunning home , like a piece of art so unique 💕
You and me both.
I love the colors and how things work together. It's refreshing to see a home that's not over-designed, but made to reflect the taste of the occupant.
Even Alexandra's name is remarkable. interesting collection of religious icon art. a quilted chair cushion! Marvelous! I love the way she describes the kitchen floor, 'the story of our lives".
So easy to tell the uber wealthy old-money homes from the rest. There just on a whole other level that the rest of us will never know or experience.
She is such a breath of fresh air . Love her style !
I just adore everything about this house. Also, really appreciate her philosophy about decorating.
This is the best one in the series, and I've watched quite a few. She is lovely and and whimsical and her touch is everywhere. Love it!
I love it! The colors, the mixture of cultures, materials. It's stunning 💖
Love her place! She certainly made it her own with fantastic objects, fabrics and style.
I love everything about this house. Simply beautiful and so stunning!!
Absolutely stunning. A true artist's home.
Absolutely stunning home, love everything. Very much my style and colours.
Love the consistent color palette and taste. Lovely.
Love everything about her home. Such an inspiration. 🙌💞
Fabulously eclectic but who dusts and cleans it all 😉
They obviously have servants darling. This is Alexandra Tolstoy you are watching, dusting is the least of her concerns.
I love the presenter, the house, the art and furniture, etc! Having just moved into a rental house with green walls and my old stuff, I am inspired to cover as many of the walls with art as I can! Some of my own art bores me but it’s better than green walls! My ‘mom alarm’ went off over the photographer, but I think those of you on the other side of the Atlantic are in a better position to comment.
Mom´s are the same , all over the world! 🌍 I think it’s a normal reaction to get alarmed of that photographer.
Naked and alone with the photographer, nyet, especially a sibling of that particular one. But her home is perfection!
Your home is lovely. So much history! The textiles are just stunning❤❤
Absolutely beautiful interior style, thank you for this video. She loves to show off her home, style and life and always has. It's hard to wince and judge when the bottom line is that I appreciate getting to see it! ;)
Color, layers, warmth. Love it. And the kitchen is a dream.
Surround yourself by things you love..... best to make a house a home ..... trends end: your memories are forever.
I appreciate that this lady knows what she loves, curates what she loves, does so confidently and cavalierly.
An absolutely beautiful lived in comfy home. I love how nothing matches. I love all the different colours & designs. Alexandra has great taste & she knows how to put things together. ♥️💖💚🧚🏼♀️
I love everything about Alexandra's house! The colours are textures are both vivid and relaxing. I agree totally about the kitchen, I prefer and unfitted kitchen. A beautiful home!
Love, love, love your style.Making use of every space. I love your paint colours and your determination to do things your way. This is totally the way I think about home decor.
I’m so glad you made and shared this, I come back to it again and again.
I absolutely love her style, her colors, and her attitude, especially!
A warm and cozy home! Thanks for sharing.
This is truly a home. I'm inspired and encouraged to collect items that have personal meaning. I've struggled to do so amongst a family that loves new. I also appreciate Alexandra's statement about bathrooms and kitchens not needing fitted cabinetry.
Swooning! ♥️ Over some truly beautiful fabrics..
I frickin LOVE her style 💜
I’ve been tormented by this since watching it. This is what nightmares are made of. I’m talking about leaving naked babies with an adult because they demand the parent can’t be present, in the name of art? Wtf... that’s exactly how things happen. Regular folks get ish for leaving their child with a family member that ends up abusing them, rich people leave them with “artists”.
The photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, is both famous and expensive. He works with assistants. The kids aren't alone with him. He just asks parents to leave so the kids aren't distracted by 'Mummy and Daddy'.
@@SarahWelstead hi, are you aware there were assistants present during the shoots? If so, how?
I actually looked at the comments to see if anyone else found that alarming and I am happy to see a number of people did. I am glad to see that there were assistants in the photo shoot, however, I still think the parent should never leave the room when their child is being photographed. If this is the same Robert Maplethorpe who had the controversial homoerotic exhibits, that does not give me any confidence about the issue. I saw one of his exhibits in a small gallery in Detroit, and some of the photographs were quite disturbing. One painting, in particular, involved a child who was in the room while his Mother was involved in a sex act. The whole exhibit was very sexually charged and people had to be buzzed in to get into the gallery. No kidding.
@@kdmil2002 She clearly stated that Edward Mapplethorpe (b. 1960) photographed her children not to be confused with an older brother, Robert. Sharing the same last name and profession lends to confusion but most folks know that the older brother died long ago, in 1989.
Well than do not it yourself.
It's so refreshing to see a small pretty rental house. Most interviews seem to be with owners of giant houses.
Love your home. Every room and every space is special. Thank you for sharing.
I loved this house and I collect oddities and amazing treasures just like her plus my color scheme is very similar! It was warm and inviting and had a Victorian world traveler feel to it like an expatriate vibe would!
your house sounds just as manky
I absolutely adore her home! Every little touch is interesting and lovely.❤
Possibly my favourite house interior ever xxxx
Love this. What a fabulous mix of interesting items and colors and textures! My favorite is the peeling wood floor that reflects the family that lives there. Only an interesting human being could inhabit a space made like that. I sometimes wonder who are the people are who live in plain, dull white boxes? In homes that look like they were stamped out with a conventional trendy rubber stamp? It's a joy to see a home like this one.
Take a drink every time she says "Russian"
Good.
watching for the second time all her decor is so beautiful everything is so visually pleasing
Alexandra's home looks really lived in and cozy .... full of treasures. Those spode floral sky blue plates are really pretty. Loving the portrait of her by Graig. The love the rustic look of the wood floor in the dinning room,very charming country feel. Charming home...xxx
What a lively symphony of color, texture and history - definitely comfortable. This was uploaded before, perhaps another channel, IDK, but I've seen this before. It's so unique, I'm not inclined to forget the wonderful feeling her home left me with.
I love all the coral/pink/orangey reds in every room.😍😍😍
Such a homey , lovely house. So authentic & so you. Thanks much for sharing ❣️
I can't stop watching this video, I go back to it all the time. She is amazing! I wish she was my friend.
The decor is so rich and meaningful. Thank you for sharing your home. It’s interesting and beautiful!
I love your decorations, and your collections tell the good stories…..
2 words: adorable and amazing! 😘
This is absolutely stunning. She has such a marvelous eye.
Watching this decor is such a freeing experience. I just loved seeing all of these decorating conventions broken: the dollhouse in the bedroom, table lamp on the kitchen counter, a small papasan chair in the bathroom, Christmas decoration used all year round. I found this to be such a freeing experience, free to express myself, free to decorate as I please, free to be totally unconventional. So, often, quite unconsciously, I am striving to fit some mould, some "rule," forgetting that this is my house and I can decorate it any way I want to, not in a bizarre way, but in a personal, fun way. What pleases me. I don't have to abide by anyone else's conventions. So often I feel pressured to fit in with the newest decor style. It's nice to be reminded that I don't need nor have to fit into any decor style, that I am free to be creative, to comply only with my own style. Thank you
I haven't seen such an exquisite house for a long time. She has sublime taste.
Absolutely fantastic interior. Looks so beautiful, homy and cosy. Must be wonderful to live in a space like this. Congratulations
A very collective home that seems to work for the family. I found it very interesting and colorful but comfortable. Enjoyed the full video.
That is the most beautiful eclectic maximalist collection I've seen. I loved this so much.
These little videos of beauty ,just transform you to another place.Thank you!🦋☺🦋
So many stunning things in this house. I love the colors, textures and patterns. My house is a rental 1930s cottage in a FL beach town. It is decorated inside with many collected things and lots of color and comfort. Not the exquisite quality of the interior of this one but things that make me happy. Many collected on travels in Europe. I always wanted to visit Russia but never got there. At 72 not enough stamina. I absolutely love the Russian plates. Thank you for this wonderful look around.
Gorgeous curated home.
She’s just so fabulous and comes from an illustrious family but she looked so familiar and then I realized i saw her travel book / novel at a book shop! Love ❤️ love ❤️ love ❤️
So beautiful!!!! Love everything ✨
Beautiful home, love eclectic styles♥️
A magnificent house. So beautiful. Thank you for the video.
Beautiful family home. Love all the beautiful colors.
This entire home is fascinating 😍
A room is what you make it- whether dining becomes sitting room or vice versa. Love her honest style
Astonishing! This layered look took 10 days.
Especially seeing as the average renter would NO chance of doing this. Its call priviledge
I agree with you in every since about fitted kitchens and using the space as you see it fit and your son was very wise with the dining room in the large room with the window to the front and the cosy Snug lounge room
@leonie. My sentiments exactly about fitted kitchens and bedrooms, especially bedrooms. I prefer to use the space as I see fit.
Beautiful and full of fantastic stories !!!!