Our design involvement in the Brighton house was staged. Initially we were engaged to create a modern interior to complement CARR Design Goup's architecture for an extension to this classic Edwardian home. The renovation had to suit the growing needs of a young family, whose love of entertaining and intimate family time became the driving force for the design, which connects individual areas within an open-plan format. Material selection (clean white joinery, a mix of carrara marble and concrete benchtops with oak floorboards in the hallway and open plan areas), proportion of joinery and alignment create balance and a subtle transition from the old through to the new.
We revisited the project recently to create an elegant and sophisticated original front of the house (the parents' room, master bedroom and ensuite) that also had flow and connection with the extension. A rich dark colour palette in the parents' room establishes a sense of mood and hints to the Edwardian era, but the clean lines of the bespoke joinery and the painted out fireplace maintain a contemporary connection. This balance is achieved in the master bedroom with custom-designed walnut bedside tables and simple linen furnishings and in the ensuite with marble tiles to both wall and floor paired with clean white joinery and a modern free-standing bath. The overhead light well reflects against the finishes to make the space feel more generous and the shower room adds a sense of grandeur felt by the marble mass. The overall result of the Brighton house is testament to a trusting client with a great eye!