Completed June 2016

This was an interesting project, as it was the refurbishment of a house only about 20 years old.

Originally designed for a client who had a love of medieval Britain, castles and dragons and all the imagery that goes with it. Therefore quite a challenge to redesign the house for a client with a minimal lifestyle, and a clean and unfussy style.

The client employed an architect to oversee the remodelling of the house, as there were a few quite major alterations to the rear and front of the property. Ian Buckingham Interior Design was employed to redesign all of the internal living areas.

The house was stripped of any ‘period’ features which included wrought iron light fittings, cobbled floors and false half-timbered elements.

Existing bathrooms were re-designed to bring them up to date visually and technically. All of the bathrooms use the same porcelain tile colour, but used in different module sizes with a ‘feature’ tile to each room, they all have their own identity, but are part of a bigger family of materials.

A lot of new electrics and plumbing was installed to supplement the existing systems throughout the entire house, to allow for more efficient heating, lighting to all of the principal rooms and bedroom spaces. Low levels of lighting and fittings that blend well with the surroundings help to achieve a calm ambience.

The front of the house was stripped of the random stone, and replaced with smooth render, painted. The timber balconies and balustrades at the rear have been replaced with galvanised metal, structural glass and recycled plastic boards, for a modern and clean coastal type appearance.

The kitchen was removed and the space altered to accommodate a new kitchen, breakfast room and new room overlooking the remodelled pool.

Some of the existing features like the Dutch herringbone brick was kept, and replicated in the new Stone fireplace. The structural timbers were recoloured to make them less stark, and new hardwood floors were installed, in a giant herringbone, and a very nice mansion weave design on the lower ground floor, to lend a more contemporary feel to the overall envelope of the house.

The whole house was redecorated, using a combination of painted wood panelling with subtle decorative wallpapers and a very soft palette of greys, enhanced by subtle changes of texture in the soft furnishings, but still remaining with the grey palette. Luxurious carpeting was laid on the upper (bedroom) floor, and staircase to the first floor.

A combination of bespoke furniture i.e. sofas, built in storage, and recently purchased lighting and contemporary rugs, help to achieve a very calm environment. The beauty of the views from the garden elevation of the house needed to be enhanced and not overshadowed by the contents of the house.

The client is very happy.