Studio Ogee: Creating a Timeless, Yet Playful, Apartment Design

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a playful and luxurious residential design by 2025 SBID Awards Finalist, Studio Ogee.

Studio Ogee was commissioned to put some heart and soul back into this former London Victorian vicarage. Through a considered and layered interior scheme, full of character and interest reflecting the client’s personality and love of art, fashion, sport and travel, this handsome family home was reimagined. A timeless and luxurious palette of natural materials and finishes balances the traditional with the contemporary and eclectic mix of bespoke joinery and furnishings. It provides both a quiet haven away from a busy urban lifestyle, as well as a welcoming entertainment space that energises through playfulness and a relaxed casual elegance.

What was the client’s brief?

Studio Ogee was commissioned to design and manage the complete renovation of a converted former South London vicarage. The property had previously been repurposed by a property developer, but it was no longer meeting the needs of our Client, a family with teenage children, and it lacked heart and soul. A basement spanning the entire footprint of the property was added to the five-bedroom home, its impressive scale devoted entirely to play. Studio Ogee was asked to design a family home that both met the need for a functional and quiet sanctuary away from busy work schedules and the buzz of the city outside, as well as a fun space in which the family could come together and entertain friends. The interiors needed to reflect the Client’s personality and interest in culture, fashion, sports and travel through an eclectic and playful mix of bespoke joinery and furniture, antiques, soft furnishings and art. The Client was looking for a timeless and luxurious palette of furnishings and materials that would stand the test of time but also provide impact and a hint of the unexpected.

What inspired the design of the project?

Our starting point is always the architecture of the building and the Client. We spend a lot of time getting to know who we are working for to be able to tell their story through the interiors. Studio Ogee’s working ethos is to design spaces that tell stories, and so we set out to interweave the history of this former Victorian vicarage with the Client’s personality and lifestyle. ‘A home to soothe the soul and lift the spirits’ was the working conceptual proposition throughout the design process. It was important to create a space that functions both as a quiet haven, providing ease of living and respite from a busy urban lifestyle, as well as a welcoming entertainment space that energises through playfulness and a relaxed casual elegance.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

We were lucky in that our Client was very engaged in the process and truly enjoyed being taken on a creative journey, despite the inevitable stresses that comes with a project like this. The contracted team they had chosen was also highly skilled and professional and we worked with trusted suppliers, so all in all it was a project without too many serious challenges and very good collaboration between all parties involved. That said, it is always difficult to ensure everyone’s synchronised to work seamlessly and there were of course some mistakes made along the way. For example, there was a load of carefully selected marble slabs for the kitchen that was crashed into by a lorry and therefore had to be replaced, and one of the statement light fittings did not agree with the Lutron system that was introduced. But, because everyone involved really cared and strived for perfection, we could quickly rectify mistakes and find solutions together.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

It is always nerve racking to see your designs that have so far only existed on paper and as samples in a mood board tray materialise in front of your eyes. You hope and pray it is going to turn out exactly as you had intended and hoped for. It is therefore also some of the most thrilling moments when bespoke joinery and furniture comes to life and makes that space truly unique and special. It is always rewarding to see your Client excited about their new home and pleased about the job you have done for them.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

We are proud of the project and were keen to see how it would be received by both industry experts and the public, and so SBID was the natural place to seek meaningful industry recognition.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

We are truly honoured to be an Award Finalist! As a young and growing studio, an SBID nomination not only adds credibility to what we do, it also gives us confidence and, we hope, gives future Clients the same confidence in choosing to work with us.

Questions answered by Nicoline Sandwith, Founder of Studio Ogee.