It is the architecture of the 18th century that particularly inspires interior designer, Cecilia Neal. She has taken its influence to transform an ugly modern apartment into a sumptuous and welcoming light-filled pied a terre in central London for herself and her husband. While the drawing room has the feel of a country house, the dining room shows her theatrical streak - a fabulous gilded hexagon with a very Regency feel. This is a home that is both one hundred percent functional and one hundred percent stylish. As Cecilia says: “The overwhelming thing was to get rid of the concrete feel to it all, but now I love to walk in at the end of a long day and settle down by the fire to read the paper. It feels very enclosed, like a little piece of the country in the middle of the city”.Writer helenchislett@btinternet.com