FULL HOME RENOVATION, NUTTHALL, NOTTINGHAM
Full Home Renovation, Nuthall, Nottingham
The Brief
Our clients are busy professionals with two young children whose property, situated in a conservation area, had been extended by the former owners to its maximum footprint. The only way to increase the size of the house was to incorporate the garage space into the house and completely reconfigure the layout. The architect developed an airy open plan design at the rear of the property and connected it to the large garden with a series of bi-fold and French doors. This space incorporated a vaulted ceiling in the new Kitchen, flowing into a Dining Area and Living Room.
Other Considerations
The Johals did a lot of family entertaining and wanted to be able to maximise seating on those occasions.
Multiple family members have asthma, so dust traps and anything ‘furry’ should not be included.
This Northeast facing space needed to be bright and vibrant.
The clients wanted the style of their home to be striking and contemporary with a strong use of colour.
The Design
The Kitchen and Utility have been designed in collaboration with Stephen Christopher Design. A German kitchen was chosen in graphite with elements of walnut for contrast, and fitted with a Quooker boiling water tap and combination Bora induction and gas hob with downward extraction, among other high end appliances.
Lighting is an important design feature in this home and is used to zone the space. From the simple yet elegant task light suspended from the vaulted ceiling over the island, to the origami-like dining pendant, to the table, ceiling, and floor lamps in the Living Room.
The spaces are unified using a strongly textured Anthology wallpaper in shades of blue and silver, and tie in with the kitchen with the use of walnut doors with graceful Italian door furniture. Small seating areas allow for places to read or sit with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view of the garden, and these combined with nesting footstools and a large L-shaped sofa make seating large numbers of people comfortably a breeze, while the contemporary log burner makes for cosy winter nights in.
The photographs on this page show how stunning the result was (and how it perfectly matches their very specific brief). The client was so delighted that they allowed us back into their home to take these images, for which we are very grateful.
“Emma went above and beyond”
“Emma Cockroft has been absolutely brilliant and has helped us design our remodelled home to give it the WOW factor! Emma had a very nice approach, she really took the time to understand our tastes and what we wanted and came up with some fantastic ideas and solutions, many of which we would not have chosen ourselves but have worked so well. Emma went above and beyond in her role to make sure we were completely satisfied with the end result, often taking us on field trips to see and choose certain products first hand. Emma then showed us her plan on a very easy to follow presentation and even at this stage, after all her efforts, we were able to make changes if we weren’t completely satisfied… as it happened, we were completely satisfied but it was nice to still have the option to change things.
After that we could choose to purchase all the products ourselves or have Emma project manage the job for an extra fee. We asked her to project manage and it was really worth it! Emma communicated well with our builders and kitchen suppliers and made sure everything was delivered on time and everything was put in place to the exact specifications that were on the presentation. Even after all the fees have been paid, Emma has kept in touch and will be visiting the house to help us dress it up. If you want to give your home or certain rooms that “designer show-home look” we would highly recommend Emma.
Thank you.”
Our Clients from Nuthall, Nottinghamshire
LIVING ROOM INTERIOR DESIGN, MAPPERLEY, NOTTINGHAM
Living Space Design, Mapperley, Nottingham
The Brief
Our clients are a couple in their 30’s with a young son who moved into their large 1930’s family home 18 months ago. With an extension planned for the near future, they wanted to concentrate on a previously unused room, converting it into a sophisticated adult space, a Living Room in which to spend time together as a couple, and for entertaining. They wanted this space to be light, airy, and elegant.
Other Considerations
Sophisticated lighting and a strong use of texture were desired.
A newly installed contemporary gas fire needed to be incorporated into the design.
Original features were to be renovated and/or retained including weather damaged stained-glass windows.
Existing French doors into the adjoining playroom required a privacy screen.
The Design
We began with restoration work to the original internal door, removing a layer of plywood installed in the 1980’s and making repairs prior to painting. The round stained-glass windows were replaced with acid-etched plate glass, providing privacy while retaining light. The double-glazed panels in the French Doors were replaced with acid-etched alternatives which keep the playroom and the adult spaces separate.
The sofas and chair were designed with F&M Steed, a skilled local family-owned maker of upholstered furniture. The sofas, covered in an elegant Designers Guild fabric in cerulean blue and burnished gold, piped and buttoned in blue leather, are set around a lovely &Tradition coffee table – this striking pattern is repeated in a Wi-Fi enabled mechanised Roman blind created by the ever-talented Lynne Kelly Curtains Ltd. Farrow & Ball Elephant’s Breath No. 229 in practical Modern Emulsion and matching Eggshell woodwork makes for a contemporary treatment, with neatly stripped and restored ceilings painted in All White No. 2005.
The Finishing Details
An old, inefficient radiator has been replaced with this Milano one in black, and the mirror that now sits above it bounces light around the room.
The lighting, side tables and side board in black and warm-toned metals complete the look, with a final flourish of texture and colour in the area rug and sofa throw.
We were extremely pleased with everything from the design brief to the final touches
“We asked Emma to design a formal living room for us, an elegant and sophisticated adults only sanctuary. The only thing that we didn’t love from Emma’s original design was the lighting, but when we brought this to her attention she offered us a number of alternatives, one of which we loved! We were both working from home, so opted for the project management service. Emma selected and organised the various tradespeople, which allowed us to continue to work uninterrupted. We were extremely pleased with everything from the design brief to the final touches. See the photos of the finished design for yourself! ”
Client, Mapperley, Nottingham
FULL HOME RENOVATION, WEST BRIDGFORD
Full Home Renovation, West Bridgford
The Brief
Our clients are a busy professional couple without children living at home – a Victorian Semi-Detached house.
The Design
Living Room Design
This is a good reminder that old and new do mix! The walls are painted with Dulux Egyptian Cotton, keeping chair rails, skirtings, architraves, and doors in Gloss White. The leather sofa in a soft denim colourway is from Barker and Stonehouse, while the crystal chandelier and vintage poster have been in the family for years. Lynne Kelly Curtains Ltd created the Roman blinds in this striking Harlequin fabric in Ochre.
Dining Room Design
This room was rearranged to allow the existing furniture to flow better. The client thinks that the application of the fabulous large geometric printed wallpaper from Cole & Son is great fun next to the dramatic Harlequin upholstered pelmet, also created by Lynne Kelly Curtains Ltd. A simple black textured roller blind, also supplied and fitted by Lynne, is a functional window treatment to prevent glare as the sun goes down. This designer bronze radiator from Best Heating has enough heat output to keep this south facing room warm and welcoming.
Master Bedroom Design
While as a rule we create bedroom spaces that are restful, rules are made to be broken! The use of this Harlequin wallpaper won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly makes a statement. This maximalist design pairs strong patterns, chevrons and lilies, but tones it down with lots of texture and a limited colour palette. These cushions and throw from Christy and additional cushions from Jarrold add texture and interest. Slim metal-framed mirrors in round and oval shapes help to bounce light around, and these two are a real deal at less than £100 each. Sacrificing the end of the room for a built-in wardrobe maximises storage, which with the addition of a large white chest-of-drawers and two oversized black bedside tables keep the space uncluttered.
Family Bathroom Decoration
All that this room needed was a change of colour scheme. A switch to Farrow& Ball Setting Plaster No.231 above the rail warms up the space, and the addition of some trailing plants and some Christy towels completes the look.
This room in north facing, so light is an issue. A colour palette of crisp white and fresh green was selected, incorporating a floating shelf with real trailing plants and a 1940’s bed refinished in Annie Sloan chalk paint in French Grey. Although plantation shutters were considered, Venetian blinds were eventually selected for a similar look at 10% of the price.
Guest Bedroom Design
This ‘attic room’ was inspired by the client’s time in Japan. The existing Japanese futon bed and low bedside tables are accessorised with tall table lamps with fabric shades and flesh and white coloured bed linens. The ceiling light from Ocean Lighting is a simple LED flush mounted fitting in black fabric. The end of the room has been repurposed for storage with the addition of wall-to-wall louvred-door wardrobes graced with black leather and brass loop handles from Royal Design, which serves both as hanging space for guests and as a linen closet for the rest of the house. The walls and woodwork are painted in Farrow & Ball Peignoir No.286, and an antique kimono is displayed as a wall hanging.
“Emma worked with me over an extended period time, slowly helping to restore the Victorian character of this lovely West Bridgford building, while thoroughly modernising throughout with exceptional style and elegance and all the time respecting my budget.
She was amazingly easy to work with and is a real professional. Thank you”
Our Clients from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
OPEN PLAN HOME RENOVATION, EAST BRIDGFORD
Open Plan Home Renovation, East Bridgford
The Brief
Our clients are a busy professional couple with two young children living in a new home on a small private estate. They have lived in the area for years and often work from home. This makes them one of the few clients who manage the implementation of projects themselves, using their own local tradespeople.
The Design
Reading Area Design
The original layout of this home left a large unused space in front of floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the garden. When our clients asked us to create a Reading Area, we knew that this was the spot! We specified the Zeta Leather Chair (large enough to fit one adult and two small children) as a place to read in the evenings, and used a Harlequin paper to zone the space, choosing a colourway that matched the colour palate of the curtains in the Dining Room so that the rooms flow into one another. The finishing touch is this stylish standard lamp for good, even lighting.
Kitchen Renovation
The Kitchen required some modification, as opposed to a replacement. The Kitchen island finished short of the base cabinets on the far wall, making it difficult to understand where the Kitchen ended and the Dining Area began. It also suffered from dark brown wood-effect end panels, which looked drab in this underlit space.
We began by designing a small breakfast bar to extend the island, providing an additional seating area which has proven very popular. The end panels were treated with Zinsser, then painted in Farrow&Ball Off-White No.3. We improved the lighting by adding white wall cabinets with under mounted LED lights from Magnet to the far wall along with a light bright Elica Seashell Hood, as much sculpture as extractor! We also specified a glass splashback colour matched to the new wall colour, Farrow&Ball Card Room Green No.79.
Dining Room Design
The existing Neptune dining table was paired with a Neptune sideboard, topped with decorative items from John Lewis. A large mirror from La Redoute bounces light around the space, and a Kentia Palm in a self-watering pot connects the indoor space to the garden.
“We invited Emma to design our open plan Kitchen / Dining Room. We wanted to avoid an overhaul of the existing kitchen but Emma was still able to find ingenious ways to bring new life into the space. From subtle colour changes to statement furniture, Emma really had great ideas on how to transform the room. She also worked in partnership with her specialist contacts to ensure a complete and quality design.
On top of that, Emma is fun to work with. We will definitely be calling her again for our next project.”
Our Clients from East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire