Month: December 2024

  • Designing your home offices for productivity and success

    Gone are the days of commuting into Central London five days a week for work. With the gift of working from home, we are having to adjust our houses just a little to create a work environment that’s both productive and comfortable.

    Whether it’s an entire room or an area that’s part of a space, a well-designed home office can set you up for success whilst giving you flexibility and great energy. Here are four ways to design your home office in a way that will not compromise your productivity.

    Functional zones: If a room is to become your workspace, specific zones within the home office for different tasks, like focused work, virtual meetings, and creative brainstorming. This will create an environment that’s supportive of your role. Zoning enhances efficiency and ensures that the space caters to various work-related activities without feeling cluttered or overwhelming.

    Ergonomic comfort: By curating ergonomic furniture and a proper setup to ensure physical comfort during long working hours, you will feel invited into your office space. Adjustable chairs, ergonomic desks and carefully selected lighting will reduce strain and encourage sustained focus. An ergonomically designed space contributes to better posture and overall well-being, making it a pleasure to work.

    Personal inspiration: Tailoring your home office’s aesthetics to your individual preferences and work style will make working from home a pleasure. We like to incorporate elements that inspire and motivate you, such as artwork, plants, or personal mementos, which most offices in London cannot accommodate. It’s always uplifting to be surrounded by items that have positive meaning for you.

    Healthy work-life balance: Designing the home office to foster a clear boundary between work and home life is important. Deciding where in the house this workspace is going to be located and establishing a routine that separates working hours from personal time is also key. This separation contributes to mental well-being, preventing burnout and allowing for quality relaxation once you’re done for the day.

    A well-designed home office goes beyond aesthetics, fuelling inspiration, productivity, and success. By addressing both physical comfort and emotional well-being, we’ll create an environment where you can thrive, achieve your goals, and maintain a healthy balance between work and life, all within your home.

    If you wish to discuss how we can create a permanent and inviting home office within your home, book a discovery call today.

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  • Designing your bedroom to be a relaxing escape in the middle of London

    At the start of your day and at the end of that same day, you need your bedroom to be a relaxing escape. Life in London can be rushed and stressful. A space that’s yours, away from your daily demands — where you can unwind and start the day well — has become a necessity. Your bedroom should set you up for a good day and a good night of sleep. Here are 5 ways we create serene bedrooms that will make you feel like you’re in a retreat of your own.

    Calming colour palette:
    When you hire me as your interior designer, we ask you to guide us towards one or two colours that soothe you so we can weave these into a colour palette that’s relaxing and serene for you. We mix these with the right finishes, metals, and accessories to create a bespoke design that resonates with you deeply. We work with these elements so your walls, bedding, and décor can all come together to create a cohesive space that’s calming.

    Luxurious bedding:
    Investing in the right bedding materials such as soft cotton sheets, plush duvets, and comfortable pillowcases will give you the much-needed physical comfort for your relaxing escape. Layering textures with throws, cushions, and a cosy area rug adds a sense of comfort that will elevate the room and your mood.

    Clutter-free design:
    Embracing an organised and clean approach to the design helps keep the bedroom clutter-free and gives you a sense of retreat and relaxation. Smart storage ensures your belongings are within reach but out of sight. We space-plan your storage to ensure you have enough room for your items and extra for future purchases. We also like to select furniture with clean lines and a streamlined aesthetic to ensure there’s a visual flow to the room that brings calmness.

    Soft lighting:
    We are keen on adding more than one type of lighting in bedrooms. We incorporate gentle ambient lighting options like dimmable bedside lamps, floor lamps, and wall lights in addition to ceiling lighting. We pair this with warm bulbs to create a soothing and inviting ambiance during evenings. Whether you are getting ready in the morning or reading in the evening, we want to ensure the atmosphere is just right.

    Creating a serene bedroom involves curating a space that combines calming colours, comfortable textures, a clutter-free design, soothing lighting, and natural elements. This thoughtful combination can help parents unwind and recharge in a peaceful environment after a busy day.

    Book a call today if you wish to discuss your interior design project with us. This call will give me the opportunity to understand your needs and aspirations, and you’ll walk away understanding how we work and what we can create for you.

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  • How do we create a home that’s original and timeless to you rather than following trends?

    Whether you live in Bromley, Greenwich, Dulwich, or anywhere in-between, we love clients who want to embrace originality and timeless interiors that are true to them. Wondering how we find out what works for them? Here’s how we create bespoke interior designs that resonate with you deeply:

    1. Identify your personal style: We focus on understanding your personal style, preferences, interests, and lifestyle. What colours, patterns, and textures resonate with you? The way to do this best is by pausing when you see something you like and asking yourself if you like it or love it. Have you always loved it? Has it always sparked something positive inside you? Can you imagine yourself living with this? If the answer is yes, there’s a good chance you will love it for the years to come. We go through a selection of images with you to understand what sparks your joy.

     

    1. Curate meaningful pieces: We ask if you have any furniture, decor, and art that hold sentimental value or evoke positive emotions. Maybe something you picked up at Greenwich Market recently or something your grandma passed on to you. Incorporating pieces that tell your story adds depth and authenticity to your space, making it truly one-of-a-kind. These pieces will also make you smile every time you enter the room.

     

    1. Invest in quality: We research and find home items that are going to be useful and stand the test of time. This applies to the quality of the furniture but also to the use you will get out of it for the long term. Other than in a young child’s bedroom, the rest of the house should be a collection of items that work for you for many years.

     

    1. Prioritise functionality: A timeless home is also a practical one. Designing your space to accommodate your daily routines and needs is a top priority for us. A well-organised and functional layout enhances the longevity of the design while ensuring a seamless flow in your daily life, making it a pleasure for you to live in and host your guests. We also place importance on how you see your family life evolving in the future. Are you planning to have more children, adopt a pet, or have an elderly parent move in? These and other questions are asked so we can create practical designs that evolve with you and your family.

     

    1. Classic foundations: Creating with classic elements such as the walls, floors, window treatments, and major furniture pieces helps you to always keep falling in love with your home. These serve as a versatile backdrop that allows you to change accents and accessories over time without altering the core design.

     

    1. Timeless Patterns and Textures: Selecting patterns and textures that have stood the test of time also helps. Classic elements add depth and visual interest to your home without becoming dated.

     

    1. Adapt, don’t adopt: While inspiration from trends is fine, adapting them to your personal style rather than adopting them will serve you well in the long run. Incorporate trendy elements in small, interchangeable ways that can easily evolve over time.

     

    1. Seek Professional Guidance: Our experience helps us understand your vision so we can create a space that’s both original and timeless for you. Our expertise can help you strike the perfect balance between personal style and enduring design.

     

    Remember, your home is a canvas for self-expression and a sanctuary to help you take on the world. By embracing your individuality and following these principles, we can craft an interior that remains beautiful, functional, and meaningful for years to come.

    Get in touch with us today to discuss how you would like your interiors to support your dream home life.

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  • Designing for family bonding

    Open plan living areas have become part of our daily life. However, a thoughtless design can hinger the quality time you wish to share with your loved ones leaving you frustrated and uninspired. Here are 4 design tips we can help you with to harness bonding time between your family and friends so you can you foster deeper connections.

    Open layout for interaction:
    We design open layouts that promotes easy flow, unabstracted communication and good interaction among family members. Arranging seating in a way that brings everyone together, making space for family time doing what you love most, creating a conducive environment for conversations and creating storage for your everyday needs will all promote a healthier, harmonious and togetherness you crave for.

    Comfortable and versatile seating:
    Choosing comfortable and versatile seating options like sectional sofas, cosy armchairs, pouffes and more will give a range of choice for the different moods you and your family will experience in your open plan living. After all, this is the space you’ll spend most of your time in so it’s important to accommodate for all times of the day and night. We also ensure you have additional seating that’s welcoming and comfortable for your guests so everyone can feel right at home.

    Tech-free zones for quality time:
    Designated tech-free zones within the living room to encourage quality time without distractions is also something we get requested. We can create cosy reading corners or board game areas where phones and screens are set aside so you can all be present to enjoy your precious days together.

    Interactive entertainment:
    Integrating interactive elements such as a media centre for your family movie nights or space to play your collection of records is something we take into consideration when designing if you enjoy these. We ask you how frequently you want to use these and a few other questions to understand how central to the design these elements need to be. We make sure that the entertainment setup engages everyone in a comfortable way.

     

    By incorporating these design elements, an open plan living room can become the centre of your family life for sharing special moments, experiences, conversations, and bonding. It’s a space where your family will come together to relax, play, and connect, fostering stronger relationships and create memories.

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