‘Big’ was both the challenge and the inspiration for turning this quirky Stockholm house into a comfortable family home. Embracing the impressive but slightly mad Swedish take on an English Arts and Crafts manor, the interior was designed to create rooms that flowed together united by interesting pieces with scale.
In the sitting room a well-proportioned sofa upholstered in a big print sits happily with an oversized coffee table and low hanging pendant light. Elsewhere large scale artwork and flashes of bold colour help balance the acres of wall and floor space, be it turquoise lamps or the tutti colori of the velvet cushions on the dining chairs.
A generous Edwardian suburban house was completely gutted, redecorated and refurnished from top to bottom. A lovely project which involved specifying everything from new floorings to ceiling covings and designing a completely new layout for the kitchen diner. We openend up the doorway from the hall to the kitchen which brought in lots of lovely light and made the entrance feel instantly more welcoming. In the kitchen we created a faux chimney breast to frame the oven and hob which breaks up the run of cabinets nicely but the real focus of the room are the stunning Crittall doors opening to the garden. At the top of the house we ‘borrowed’ some loft space to turn an old laundry cupboard into a shower room for the guest bedrooms and created a cosy dormitory for the grandchildren.
Careful choice of colour, pattern and texture were key to respecting the essence of the period whilst also bringing the look up to date.
The successful major renovation of this classic Victorian terraced house was a testament to the owner’s careful planning and X-ray eye for detail. When not one internal wall stayed in the same place, the cellar became a new basement suite and five bedrooms became three, the scene was set for a comprehensive new look.
The brief was make it grey, grey, grey and then ‘make sure it’s grey’ which is not quite as straightforward as first might seem especially if aiming to avoid the land of bland. Our clients wanted an elegant setting for their ever expanding collection of objets and antiques, whilst still having a modern, functioning home for both entertaining and relaxing.
Nestled in the Yorkshire Dales National Park this 18th century stone cottage was a dream project; a holiday home for a family based abroad.
Working on a total refurbishment miles away and with clients even further afield was a bit of a challenge. Luckily the main schemes and key layout decisions were agreed early on which allowed time to source antiques and the more eclectic pieces which give this second home a lovely layered, lived in feel.
Taking inspiration from the Dales, the miles of dry stone walls, lush pastures and caramel Highland cattle, the colour palette and textures are warm, welcoming and honest. Wool and linen curtains, textured fabrics, sheepskins and sisal carpeting all nod to the rural setting.
Heart stopping views and a contemporary setting focused the design challenge for this brand new apartment, which was how to address the practical needs of busy family life without compromising on style. Our clients, a young couple with two small children who love to entertain, wanted open plan living focused around a large dining table. They embraced our bold decorating suggestions with enthusiasm - including the glamourous and child friendly aquarium wall.
The floor plan was reimagined and by moving a wall or two we enlarged the original second bedroom to create the new master and opened up the living space adding a club style seating area. We designed a rather decadent looking corner sofa large enough to accommodate the whole family which also cleverly hides a pull out double bed to allow for occasional overnight guests. The limited storage options throughout needed to be maximised so we added a wall of generous his & her fitted wardrobes in the master and the original utility cupboard in the hall was crammed with creative storage solutions. Two leftover bedroom doors were given a new role as a second built in ‘cloakroom’ in the entry for winter coats, buggies and suitcases etc.
When faced with dauting acres of developer’s white paint and a collection of empty ill proportioned rooms, our clients were looking for help to inject personality to their new home.
The living room only had one useable wall and lacked any focus so we designed and installed a faux chimney breast with a bioethinol fire for atmosphere and bespoke joinery for storage. The generous sofa is anchored by the large rug and layers of light and airy textures give the space an open and welcoming feeling.
We upped the glamour in the dining area with a horsehair wallcovering and some sexy wall lights. The bespoke banquette in a rich velvet draws in the eye but the mid century classic marble top table is the real scene stealer. As the original layout was not symetrical we took the opportunity to rebalance by pushing out the far wall to create a fun built in bar area.
More colour was added in the principal bedroom, replacing the uninspiring beige with a luxurious sage green carpet and then layering the colour tones to the darker wood veneer wallcovering on the headboard wall.
After extensive building works this once faded Kensington flat emerged revitalised.
Sadly the original covings had to be replaced throughout, but the crispness of the new plaster moulds draws the eye up to the grand, tall ceilings. This luxury of ceiling height allowed for a statement pendant light or two and in the bedroom, the scale of the decorative wallpaper doesn’t overpower.
The classic white kitchen has it’s heart firmly in New England but with the odd flight of fancy; the Dupont edge on the Carrara marble work top, a tongue and groove ceiling painted blue and the little stool found on the street which we hand painted with matching blue ‘socks’. As is often found with small conversions there was no window in the bathroom so we selected contrasting wall tiles to create impact, a bit of fun which also happliy makes the room feel much larger.
