Hill Cottage, Devon
The brief from the client was, they wanted to make this house feel like home, by incorporating some very sentimental pieces of art they’d created many years ago. This was our starting point and the whole scheme we presented evolved from those paintings, coupled with being empathetic to the property’s original features and natural setting.
The colours selected for each room are very intrinsic to the clients preferred colour palette, these colours were drawn from the client’s own art pieces featured on the walls. Using trends such as colour-drenching we incorporated an immersive colour experience in each room to enhance the emotional connection the client has with colour.
The fabrics were selected to seamlessly intertwine the exterior setting to the interior. The textures and print quality were all important elements in the final selection process, this is an artists home and these details are very important to them.
Other details that were incorporated into the scheme were trimmings, for example the poms-poms on the blinds and curtains, they add additional softness but also a playful element to each room. The contrast fabric headers on the curtains in the living room also emulate the enjoyment the client has when experimenting with pattern and colour.
As the interior designers for this full cottage restoration, we were involved in reinstating the original flooring to selecting wall colours, specifying lighting.
The original flooring in the kitchen was a really exciting discovery, when lifting the modern flooring we found large slabs of Blue Lias stone which is a type of hardwearing limestone with characteristics of fossils and ammonites geographically found in Devon, Somerset and Dorset.
The original floorboards in the dining and drawing room were sanded back and treated to enhance the natural features of the wood grain.
To expand on our involvement with the kitchen, we re-designed the whole room taking out an old stud wall and exposed the original fireplace and an old range. We reinstated the original mantle above and the Rayburn was installed. Complimented by the beautiful hand-painted tiles we also specified for the client.
Sourcing appropriate fabrics based on the aesthetic the client was wanting to achieve and making the made-to-measure curtains and blinds. The attention to detail was key for this project, an example of this is sourcing colour-matched curtain poles so they blended into the wall in the bedrooms to not detract focus from the beautiful textiles.
We designed and sourced traditionally made wooden-framed sofas for the property, along with chairs, tables and beds. One of the sofas was completely reupholstered using traditional horsehair and upholstered by hand re-lashing all the springs to be fully reconstructed. The finishing touches included space planning and art placement. We project managed the whole development to ensure the clients were satisfied with every stage of the renovation.
We achieve beautifully curated spaces that emulate the client, not the designer. We believe that our roles as Interior designers and project managers is to understand the clients’ requirements and really listen to their values to help bring a concept to life. This ethos enables us to work on a wide variety of projects, not one project is the same. If we were pressed to describe our ‘signature style’ we’d say it is most definitely along the lines of understanding people’s needs and providing great value solutions whilst creating fabulous spaces.
Feedback from our wonderful clients…