Alan and Ellie needed to tackle some major renovation work in order to make their home meet their needs as a family of six. Instead, they decided to explore the benefits of a new build, and so pretty soon they had demolished the old house and were embarking on rebuilding their dream home on the same plot.

 

This project took around 12 months from the demolition of their old home, to the family moving into the new build. I enjoyed this project immensely, putting my heart and soul into inspiring and guiding them in their choices of paints, wallpapers, lighting, flooring, handles, fabrics, poles, carpets, tiles, furniture and art work. both create the family home that they had always dreamed of.

Each of their children had their own room, and we spent a good deal of time exploring ideas with which to make these spaces an homage to their interests and individual personalities.  With a keen skateboarder, a nature and travel enthusiast, and a super hero fanatic, there was plenty of scope for creativity. Cue my creative team with their painting and making skills. Together we designed and painted a Gotham City mural and upcylced some tired old skateboards to make some very cool wall lights.

The living room brief was to take inspiration from Ellie’s love of India, and so exploring her travel photo albums, I drew on the colours, textures and patterns which she had captured.  Sourcing antique furniture, along with high street pieces and finishing it off with plush green velvet sofas, and made to measure heavy full length curtains, gave it a super luxurious feel.

Each time I visit the family in their new home, it is such a pleasure to see how they are living in the space, adding their own small touches here and there and enjoying all the special elements that eventually came together after so much hard work.

 
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The bathrooms were each given a bold tile theme, from modern geometric designs, rich encaustic floral patterns, to subtle gelato toned metro bricks. The guest cloakroom, was, and still remains my favourite.  The inky blue walls and woodwork, teamed with the fine gold detail in the Bonsai print wallpaper, created a dramatic and decadent vibe. I spent an enjoyable few hours in there, painting gold stars on the ceiling.

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The open plan kitchen, dining room and living area, needed just the right flow and to provide several comfortable social spaces. The large French dining table provides plenty of space for all the family, and behind this, with views of the terrace and garden, is a casual seating area, flooded with natural light and home to some potentially mammoth house plants! I love to use plants as much as possible, and unite the indoor and outdoor spaces. The kitchen island, also allows for the family or guests to sit in a less formally and converse with whoever the chef is that day.

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As a designer I’m inclined to use as much reclaimed materials as possible, it’s also an effective way of softening the edges of a ‘new build’ look and feel. We sourced wood from a local salvage yard, using it for bespoke cupboard doors, desks and mantle pieces.  We used reclaimed Spanish tiles in the fire surround and hearth to add a strong focal point within the panelled wall in the sitting room.

 my home

My own home is ever changing and evolving, as I find myself continuously inspired through my work and my interests.

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moving her family into this period property, Phillippa was keen to embrace traditional cosy cottage vibes with a bohemian edge, and create an inviting and nurturing home for her children.

 

Having experience in designing and styling her last family home, Philipa knew what she needed to tackle first in order to establish the most important aspects of her home. These were; to make the snug, the living room and dining room comfortable and cosy spaces, for the family’s first winter at the cottage.

For our bohemian feel, we chose fabrics we loved with a Middle Eastern vibe. Making up full length curtains and roman blinds for the living room, hallway and master bedroom. With stone and wooden flooring on the ground floor, it was essential we added some textiles here first, which immediately softened these spaces and kept out the drafts.

For the snug, we took inspiration from her childhood visits to Scotland. As this room is small but rich in original period features, we went all out with a Novia Scotia printed velvet for the door curtain, woollen tartan sofas to flank the ancient exposed brick fireplace and an understated smokey green grey on the walls. Like me, she has an eclectic style, and so designing spaces with impact and a reminiscent context didn’t frighten her. This is an ongoing project, as often is the case. Creating a home isn’t and shouldn’t be a job that is done at once and ‘finished’, it should evolve and it’s important to wait for the right pieces to come along as and when the time is right.

 

The Guest Bedroom

We opted for Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue on the walls to create a sense of calm in this charming guest bedroom. The House of Hackney curtain fabric delivers the colour and pattern injection, reflecting the cottage garden view outside. We reupholstered the plain cream headboard with subtle sketchy chevron design in pink from Christopher Farr.

In the more recently added sitting room extension it appeared that the previous owners had left it bare and given it very little thought; three windows had Venetian blinds and the walls were a cold white. It didn’t match up to the cosiness and character of the original part of the property and we were keen to create some much needed warmth with textiles and colour. Using accents of soft pinks, blues and greens, we layered up the patterns. We dressed the windows with full length triple pinch pleat curtains in this beautiful Bukhara fabric from Lewis and Wood and added pink velvet sofas and an accent armchair.

The Home Study

The study needed to be a more neutral working space than the other rooms, we chose Slipper Satin for the walls and as the beams had been painted by the original owners, we stripped them right back to reveal their original rustic warmth and texture.

The window treatment had to be cosy and functional, creating a false pelmet for the pinch pleats and embellishing the muted charcoal weave fabric with a golden brush fringe elevated the look.

In the master bedroom, we committed to soft pinks as our main accent, layering delicate pattern and using pretty frills against the rattan headboard for some contrasting texture. We opted for simple ruffle headings on the curtains and chose the darkest stain for the oak curtain poles, providing more depth and contrast against the dainty print of the wallpaper.

Paying homage to the rambling Wisteria which climbs the entire front of the cottage, along with a need for some extravagence, we went all out with Pearl Lowe’s wisteria wallpaper and velvet. Painting the woodwork in Green Smoke pulled out tones in the foliage and the House of Hackney Serpentis mirror.

The Kitchen

The original kitchen was a charmingly rustic mix of well loved oak, brick and large terracotta tiled floor.

Aside from this traditional oaky cottage appeal, it felt dark and at times considerably gloomy. We wanted to retain the cosy cottage feel, but draw natural light in from the large dining room windows and unify this open plan space.

We chose to replace the floor tiles with wide oak boards, creating a softer look, resonating with the abundance of original oak throughout the rest of this period property. The painted shaker cabinetry brightened the space up immediately, we painted the central island with a glossy black, to create some contrast and drama.

Fluted glass wall lights and vintage French frilly glass pendants softened the edges and created a delicate but functional lighting scheme. An antiqued glass splash back added another layer of interest and reflected light from the window opposite and allowed the host to still see her guests when cooking.

Ryan, Micheal and their two young children decided to leave their home in London and up sticks to leafy hampshire. They found the perfect new build,well appointed and with ample space but interiors wise, it was a completely blank white canvas and they needed to make it the cosy family home THEY DREAMED OF.

The kitchen boasted a substantial dining area that we felt wasn’t being used to its maximum potential, with just a small round table and chairs from their former London home. I immediately felt we needed to build something completely bespoke, with under seat storage, and some extra detailing in the form of a cool curved frontage that appears to hug the entire corner of the room. As there was so much space, we were able to include some shelves for cookery books at one end.

We covered the cushions in a wide green stripe for some impact and to pick out the subtle green in the wallpaper. With cafe curtains for privacy, but allowing views of the tree tops outside, this is now a highly functional, beautiful and super comfy eat in kitchen.

cafe curtains

We opted for some cafe curtains with a double pinch pleat for a more formal and structured look. The delicate lightweight linen with its woven dobby texture balances out the formal style with its beautiful softness.

 

‘The Living Womb’

Laurie wanted to create a sumptuous living room, in warm pink tones and used Pink Ground on the walls and ceiling, and a subtle contrast with Setting plaster on the skirting. He lovingly referred to the space as his Living Womb, the combination of the soft pinks created an immediate sense of calm. The generous proportions of the windows situated at both ends of the room, produced plenty of beautiful natural light, casting dainty leafy shadows across the walls and ceiling.

His mid-century furniture provided a vintage edge and was sympathetic to the 1960s architecture of his detached house.

The Pink Curtains

With such an expanse of windows, we decided to create something theatrical, which would also melt into the pink walls and create a seamlessness in colour but add a contrast in texture. Opting for double pick pleats for a formal feel, wall to wall and ceiling to floor velvet for drama, we made these luxurious full length curtains with Linwood’s Alpha velvet.