A Kitchen Design Encapsulates the Calmness of Living by the Sea

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a light and airy kitchen design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Bocchetta Interiors.

What was the client's brief? 

The Slipway is a modern new build home in a tranquil setting by the sea. The owners already had a very clear idea of what style they wanted their home to have, but they commissioned Bocchetta Interiors to pull a cohesive scheme together. They liked the idea of each room flowing from one room to the next with beautiful, quality materials, lighting and FF&E. The main large open plan kitchen and living space was the most important room to them and needed to have the ‘wow' factor, especially as it has the most enviable Harbourside views.

What inspired the design of the project?

The inspiration was the amazing location. We needed to encapsulate the calmness of living by the sea and hearing the water and clinking of boats. We wanted to keep a light and airy feel with subtle hints of luxury and pops of coastal colour and artwork. The builder/developers Ash Haus and Glass Harbour Group were such a pleasure to work with. Nothing was too much trouble, even if it meant adding a last-minute steam room or intricate wall paneling with hidden door.

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

I think the trickiest part was getting a kitchen layout to work with the breadth of space. The wrong kitchen design could have easily ruined the space and been too dominant. The developers and clients were delighted when Siematic Chichester came on board and produced a truly stunning kitchen design that seriously impressed whilst still being sympathetic to the surroundings and other elements in the room.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

One of our favourite commissions was to design a custom made 3.4-meter-long dining table with hand polished metal gold base and Silestone top. We worked with the clients to make sure the shape was just as they wanted, oval and wide in the middle to make conversations with everyone around the table easier. The gold of the table perfectly matches the gold trim in the kitchen and further gold pieces around the room.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

We have been a member of the SBID for many years, so we know that their awards are well respected within the industry. It was also the perfect opportunity to showcase work that we are very proud of.

Questions answered by Lucinda Bocchetta, Owner and Founder, Bocchetta Interiors.

This London pied-à-terre is a masterclass in open-plan living. Despite its relatively compact proportions (5m x 7m), the homeowners wanted to slot in a well-equipped kitchen, dining and living areas. Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio was tasked with designing a kitchen that would both furnish the space and enhance its overall look.

To ensure the kitchen is a seamless extension of the living area, Charlie opted not to install wall cupboards above the base cabinets. This created space for floating glass shelves, allowing the homeowners to weave in a touch of character with plants and decorative objects. A hanging rail was also added, retaining the much-coveted open feel whilst keeping kitchen paraphernalia close to hand.

Charlie’s greatest challenge was to fit all the functional aspects of a kitchen into the single wall of furniture. “It was tricky but I am happy with the final arrangement, which incorporates a lot of storage as well as all the essentials,” he explains. “It features a stone sink and Miele induction hob sandwiched between a tall, integrated fridge-freezer and larder cupboard at one end, and a dropped-down worktop with storage above it at the other.”

The cupboards themselves feature pewter fronts, which speak to the homeowners’ eclectic style. Made from sheet metal that is hand textured with hammers and heat, and given an aged patina using acid, the surface is then sealed with lacquer so that it stands the test of time. The cupboards are finished with concave stainless-steel handles that have been blasted to dull the shine and darken their appearance.

Bianco Macaubas Quartzite was specified for the worktop; a hardwearing but stunning natural stone with rich marble-esque veining. Charlie paired this with a Verre Eglomise splashback, whereby pure gold leaf was applied to the reverse of toughened glass and antiqued. Not only does it look stunning, but its reflective properties help to bounce light around the room and increase the feeling of space.

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £50,000.

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features an astonishing residential villa design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Chains Interior.

Every quarter in this home has its corresponding scenery that narrates the daily life of the family like a Chinese handscroll painting. Along with changes of the outdoor view, the scroll unfurls to tell stories of the dynamic interaction and relationship of family members in each space.

The narrative begins with a standing lamp at the entrance of the home. Silver as the moon, the lantern emits gentle halo to welcome the homeowner’s return. A screen curtain tinged with ink then slowly unravels the landscape of the home. In the living room there are bright windows to invite the riverside view into the space, transforming the interior into a splash-ink landscape painting. The fret-patterned carpet on the floor also blesses every step of the residents with heartfelt wishes of prosperity.

What was the client's brief? 

The client is a couple with two children. The program required independent bedrooms and an intimate family room. Chen’s design started from a garden and then gradually moved from the lobby to the public zone then moved to the upper floor and private quarters. The rhythm of spatial movement follows a virtual trip in the natural landscape like scenes unfolding in a Chinese scroll painting and each view guides the twists and turns that join together in a continuous flow.

The first floor is the public zone. The main door along the car path was slightly converted to guide the twisting turns until the path hits a vista wall illuminating by a standing lamp. The sharp turn that passes the wall then meets a silky screen which allows visual penetration to the living room. Large windows invite inside ample natural light and project a long picturesque canal view.

What inspired the design of the project?

Suzhou has more than 2500 years of history, and is considered to be the oldest city in China. Its unique geographical feature of water canals has given the city the nickname of Eastern Venice. Right along the main channel is a district restricted to only residential purposes so its construction had to follow the toughest guidelines and local codes to protect its long cultural heritage.

The residence sits along main Suzhou cannel and immediately joins with a century old canal while the other side of the residence meets another river conduit. Designer Lien Wu Chen imagined this work as totally integrated into the site and eventually be pictured as a landscape painting projecting a daily life not much change from medieval times.

Designer was moved by local culture and the unique river life inspired him to use local iconic colour like black ink and motifs like a labyrinth loop and herring bone pattern and even modern artistic work has transformed this from a traditional lucky motif to be used extensively. The furnishing objects appeared in this residence have unique features which is dominated by round shapes; lighting fixtures, furniture pieces, art work and small furnishing pieces which have all adopted the round shape as the basic form. Chen has said the round shape signifies prosperity and blissful happiness and is an eternal symbol as a family gathering.

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

This project is a huge villa in China. The first problem we faced was how to perfectly express the image of the trade which is a symbolic part of the owner; how to show the concept clearly and integrate it into modern Chinese lifestyle? Second, our company is located in Taipei and the project is far away from us so we couldn't always supervise the decorating process. We looked for local professionals to help us complete this difficult project.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The first floor is the public zone. The main door along the car path was slightly converted to guide the twisting turns until the path hits a vista wall illuminating by a standing lamp. The sharp turn that passes the wall then meets a silky screen which allows visual penetration to the living room. Large windows invite inside ample natural light and project a long picturesque canal view.

Behind a herring-bone patterned glass screen is the dining room wrapped by two partitions covered by a landscape painting. On another side appears a tea platform which is easily accessible to an outdoor river view and can look towards the husband’s childhood house.
The second floor is the second page of the picture books. The space starts from a family room and four functionally different rooms surround the family room and each plays an independent role yet can be joined together as a single space. The family room allows the two kids freely play, read, and sleep. The third floor is the master bedroom, housed under a pitched roof. The perfect position of the reading room window directly confronts canal view and tree top meets the window edge to give a romantic fair-tale fantasy.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

First of all, this award has always been a very indicative and international certification, so we want to let more people see our work by participating in this competition. Secondly, we reached the finals in 2017, 2019 and 2020 competition.

In the 2020 competition, even three of our projects have entered the finals. We hope that we have a chance to win the grand prize this time.

Watch the tour of the residence.

Questions answered by Lien Wu Chen, Design Director, Chains Interior.

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features an open plan residential space design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Nicola Burt Interior Design.

The company was tasked with transforming a tired separate kitchen, living and dining room into a warm, slightly opulent open plan space, that reflected the 1930s built of the house.

They achieved this by removing the structural wall separating the kitchen from the living area, and installing a new emerald green kitchen and island to integrate the spaces together whilst still retaining the separate zones. The warm, opulent feel was enhanced by the orange, green and blue velvet tones of the upholstered furniture together with the wood parquet floor.

Wherever possible Nicola Burt Interior Design team reused existing furniture and accessories, to minimise waste and the impact on the environment.

What was the client's brief? 

The brief from the client was to transform a tired and awkward separate kitchen, living and dining room into an open plan kitchen/dining/living space.

The client wanted a room where she could entertain as well as cook and relax. She also wanted to be able to look out onto her garden, so our team installed a wall of glazed Crittall Bifold doors, which retained that 1930s feel.

What inspired the design of the project?

The client wanted to be bold and use colour - she has some artworks by Louis Turpin in the space which are incredibly vibrant and colourful, so I drew inspiration from those for the scheme. The artwork inspired the choice of emerald green for the kitchen cabinetry.

We then paired the green kitchen with an orange velvet scalloped sofa and armchair, and a blue-green swivel chair and bar stool to enhance the vibrancy and opulent feel. I was keen to re-use existing furniture where possible - we retained the client's colourful Christian Lacroix rug which worked perfectly with the scheme, and the client's existing dining chairs. Our team also upholstered her piano stool in a beautiful vibrant offcut of woven Ghanaian fabric.

The Crittall Bifold doors to the garden, touches of gold in the handles and tap, scalloped furniture, Tristan and Isolde table lamps, all referenced the warm Art Deco feel the client wanted in her 1930s home.

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

A major challenge was working with COVID restrictions, something that I had never encountered in my 16 years working as an interior designer. We began planning the project in March 2020, but then almost immediately the first complete lockdown came into force. I had to pivot really quickly to ensure we could keep working, so I advised the client that we could continue to plan the new space remotely until we were allowed to meet face-to-face on site. This would mean we would be ready to go as soon as restrictions were lifted.

As soon as we were permitted, our team appointed an architect in to survey and draw up plans, a structural engineer to survey and do drawings for the steels, contractors to price for the work, and Building Control to inspect. After the client signed off the kitchen design we could then place the order for the furniture, with fingers crossed there would be no delays due to COVID disrupting supply chains.

The building work was booked to start in September 2020 and when it began the contractor discovered that the original frame of the property had been constructed from poured concrete, which was incredibly solid and heavy to remove. This delayed the work slightly, but we completed the project at the end of October.

It was stressful but we were incredibly lucky to get the major building work done and completed in between the various lockdown restrictions.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The first highlight was seeing the client’s joy when the scheme came together and how thrilled she was with her new space.

The second was being nominated as a finalist in the SBID Awards. There was such a great reaction to this project in the press and social media so I thought I would enter it into the awards. I never thought for a minute it would be nominated and I am so thrilled. It just confirms to me that you should be brave and trust your instincts with your design ideas!

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I entered the SBID Awards as they are so prestigious in the industry, and the judges are of the highest calibre. To be nominated as a finalist has been such a boost to my confidence, reputation and business, and to (hopefully!) win would be even more amazing, not only for me but as an inspiration to all the interior design students I teach.

Questions answered by Nicola Burt, Interior Designer, Nicola Burt Interior Design.

Project of the Week

This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a contemporary loft apartment situated above the famous Soho Theatre. Angel O'Donnell redesigned and reconfigured this central London duplex apartment on behalf of a private client. The apartment, which spans 1750 sq ft across two floors, boasts a generous open plan living and entertainment space with a spacious kitchen centred around an island and a large, yet cosy living room providing the perfect place to relax above the hustle and bustle of Soho. The show stopping centrepiece of the space is an 20 ft tall retractable roof which can be pulled back almost entirely, opening the room up and flooding it with natural light, creating a sense of inside/outside living.

Practice: Angel O'Donnell

Project: Soho Loft Apartment

Location: London, United Kingdom

What was the client's brief? 

The client hadn’t touched the property for 15 years and needed to bring it up to date before putting it on the market. They wanted a fresh looking scheme that reflected the location of the apartment and were concerned that the apartment lacked proper zoning – currently arranged as a totally open plan, one bedroom, totalling 1750sqt  - they wanted our help to maximise the cost per sq ft.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

Soho provided us with a wealth of inspiration, from its architecture, nightlife, creativity and its unique blend of old and new that works so perfectly in this part of town. We took inspiration from nearby venues like Soho House Dean St which is directly opposite as well as of course the theatre downstairs. We don’t have a ‘house style’ as such, we prefer to take our lead from the properties we work with and the nearby surroundings to create an environment that we believe best suits each particular project.

To further enhance the feeling of bringing the outside in, we adopted an organic and natural colour palette in the living room with green, blue and turquoise hues. A dramatic feature wall was painted in Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue and creates ambience at one end of the room, whilst bar stools in a forest green velvet provide a subtle reminder of Soho’s nightlife. An ivory coloured sofa is also decorated with a mix of cushions in Mulberry and Zinc textiles.

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

The toughest hurdle was how to turn the huge open plan space into something more commercially viable without breaking the bank & keeping that airy, light filled feeling. Our proposition was to build a wall across the original snug area, with sliding pocket doors. This created a separate room which was multi-functional; snug, study or second bedroom. We also advised the client to keep the kitchen and spiral staircase. These looked dated but by adding the dramatic dark paint colour behind them, gave them a new lease of life and made them look contemporary once again.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Really the highlight was the client’s reaction at the result. They were literally lost for words when they saw the transformation and even though we had created a second room in an open plan space they thought that the space felt bigger. They genuinely felt like this was the home they had been wanting to create for years.  Hugs all round !

Questions answered by Ed O’Donnell and Richard Angel, founders of Angel O’Donnell

We hope you feel inspired by this week's Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring beautifully bespoke, authentic and consciously curated interiors for a boutique hotel in the mountains of Italy, click here to see more.

Project of the Week

This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a cool, clean and industrial-inspired residential design located in a conservation area in leafy Balham, South West London. SBID Accredited Designer, Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture was tasked with fully refurbishing, re-configuring and extending the five-bedroom Victorian family house. The project involved adding a large open plan ground floor extension to the rear of the property, whilst configuring the rest of the ground floor to include a formal sitting room, utility room, ground floor guest toilet and extra storage. The rest of the house was sensitively restored and redecorated with one bedroom being converted to a study and both bathrooms redesigned.

Practice: Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture

Project: Balham House

Location: London, United Kingdom

What was the client's brief? 

The brief was to completely transform a much loved (but very tired) family home into a place suited to modern living, without losing that feeling of belonging. Being very keen gardeners, I was also asked to make the garden more of a feature from within the house.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

My clients love for their house was clearly a driving factor in my approach and their new found enthusiasm for the industrial aesthetic allowed me to explore the use of exciting elements and materials such as the metal framed windows, glazed brick slips, polished concrete flooring and engineered brickwork.

Wrap around windows were used to form the connection to the garden and a living sedum roof was installed to give a verdant view from the bedroom windows. I also used crazy paving for the patio, substituting the mortar with moss to soften the transition.

Other interesting touches were to re-use salvaged Victorian tiles from the original demolished conservatory floor and installing a custom made mural of a vintage map showing the local area when the house was first built.

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

Due to initial delays caused by bad weather and because of a very long supply lead time, the windows had to be ordered before the openings were formed meaning that all of the responsibility was on my shoulders if they didn't fit, but thankfully they did!

The decision to re-use hundreds of the original Victorian floor tiles salvaged from the old conservatory seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out to be a complex, challenging and time consuming process as there were  so many different shapes, sizes and colours to contend with. They all had to be labelled and sorted before the jigsaw puzzle could begin.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Seeing my clients move back in and immediately feel settled and at home, even though everything had changed!

Questions answered by Richard Dewhurst, Founder of Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture 

We hope you feel inspired by this week's Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a comforting, patient-focused healthcare design, click here to see more.

Want to become SBID Accredited? Click here to find out more.