9 minute read
LET THE LIGHT IN Garden rooms
INSIDE OUT Living
LET NATURE
LEAD Above: The House on the Corner in Highgate, designed by Michaelis Boyd. Far right: Silver birch trees are part of the Hamptons’ Sanctuary Garden at RHS Chelsea this year
Expanses of glazing letting in the light, green walls, garden studios and outdoor kitchens are springing up like never before in the London home, discovers
Zoe Dare Hall
PHOTOGRAPHS : JONELLE YANKOVICH Bringing the outdoors in has long been a mantra for interior designers, to blur the boundaries between what lies inside and outside our homes. But nothing could cement our longing to bond with the elements quite like two years of being largely housebound. Whether we know the term or just have a gut feel for its effects, we all now crave biophilic design, using light, colour and materials to increase our connection with nature.
We are all harnessing the power of plants, views of greenery and expanses of glazing to give our pandemic-pummelled mental health a boost. And living walls are springing up everywhere – including in the garden room of the £9.185m penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront, selling through Knight Frank. Designed by Morpheus & Co, its wall of plants behind suspended day beds leads to a terrace with panoramic river views. “In another project, we have incorporated a light well that pierces the building from top to bottom, with a green wall for an indoor/ outdoor sensation. It floods the inside with daylight and creates indoor patios for relaxation,” comments Anna Czarnowska, the design company’s creative lead.
“I believe that good architecture lets nature in,” says Alex Michaelis, co-founder of architectural practice Michaelis Boyd, whose work is increasingly inspired by the concept of ‘archinature’, in which buildings allow nature to take the lead. “Nature is the starting point for every project – spaces that begin with light, form and flow. Fusing nature with architecture helps us craft forward-thinking spaces that tread lightly,” he adds.
BOX CLEVER Above: A Bert’s Box, a timber modular home by Box 9 Design and Bert & May, made with reclaimed and hand-made materials
Amazing glazing
Using expanses of glazing to open up the living space to the elements is more alluring than ever – but white PvC or aluminium bi-folds are for beginners. Now you’ll want dark grey or black steel or aluminium-framed Crittall (or Crittall-style) doors – a staple of luxury warehouse conversions that can now be found in many a multi-million pound west London family home. They instill a cool, urban feel and a sense of drama – as see in Michaelis Boyd’s House on the Corner in Highgate (michaelisboyd.com). “We incorporated a huge skylight at the centre of the house, Crittall walls throughout and bifold doors in the rear extension to encourage the flow of natural light and provide views through the building,” says Alex Michaelis.
In a traditional Victorian semi in south west London, designer Joanna Simpson at Simpson Studio (simpson-studio.com) has stepped the rear and side extension to create a large corner window seat that’s a work of art in its own right. Plus “it gives fantastic views from the sitting room all the way through the extension to the garden beyond,” says Simpson, whose use of black window and door frames, and picture windows, create a minimalist, monochrome vision. Or combine old school glamour with a touch of the countryside by calling your extension an orangerie and installing large bronze glazed screens, as designer Louise Bradley has done in a London conversion for Vale Garden Houses (valegardenhouses.co.uk). The effect is rural idyll (lots of indoor plants on chunky wooden shelves, and a stone-framed mirror) fused with a modern urban feel as the windows open up to the courtyard garden.
Generation Shed
Posh garden sheds have risen up the ranks to become one of the most used and envied spaces in our homes since Covid struck. “We can’t build them fast enough,” says Chris Hodge, found of Shackadelic (shackadelic.co.uk). Their uses extend far beyond a home office. “We have built gyms with bathrooms and saunas, music studios, art spaces and, more recently we’ve been asked to build a space for a golf simulator,” says Hodge, who is also seeing gardens studios as teenage hangouts. Prices start at £50,000, though £120,000-plus projects are common.
These dens can conceal designer luxury inside, too, such as the summerhouse revamped by Katharine Pooley (katharinepooley.com) for a client in Notting Hill. It includes a large study with a mezzanine walkway, a hidden kitchenette and powder room. “The vibe is eclectic, with mid-century style pieces, raw textured fabrics and library-style joinery. The client wanted the feel to be young and funky and filled with light,” says Pooley.
Designer Zoe Little at Koto Design (kotodesign.co.uk) – whose carbon-neutral cabin in the Hamptons International-sponsored Sanctuary Garden that will be shown at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show – has other ambitions. “We want to disrupt how we see the conventional home office,” says Little. “We’ve created a small beautiful, multi-functional space that serves as a place of seclusion and meditation, and an immersive space to connect with the surrounding nature.”
This cabin with its Japanese-inspired charred timber exterior will “inspire and evoke a sense of shelter and warmth,” she adds. Inside, the walls are painted with Danish plaster paint and Dolomite stone. You can order one through Koto Design from £55,000.
Bringing eco-friendly chic to shed life too are Bert’s Boxes (bertsbox.co.uk), a collaboration between Box 9 Design and boutique tile company Bert & May. The timber modular homes range in size from 9m²-62m², take just a few days to install, and are complete with bespoke finishes and fittings in reclaimed and hand-made materials. Bert’s Boxes cost from £39,000.
IMMERSIVE Above: A CGI of the Hamptons International-sponsored Sanctuary Garden to be shown this year at RHS Chelsea, with its cabin by Koto Design
Al fresco dining
An outdoor kitchen doesn’t just have an immediate wow factor, but it makes hosting easier, says Jo Aird, co-designer at Outdoor Kitchen Expert (outdoorkitchenexpert.com), which creates outdoor dining and entertaining areas with LED mood lighting, sound systems and hot tubs.
You can turn your garden kitchen into a sensory experience too, by using grainy, tactile hard woods, raw reclaimed varieties or decadently rich cedar, and add edible climbing plants, herb walls and aromatic planters. “It’s all about creating a space that feels harmonious and natural, where firing up the smoker or grilling over the pit delivers an earthy glamping-style experience that acts as a sensory detachment from daily life,” says Aird.
Manfredi Conforzi, director at the Italian kitchen company Officine Gullo (officinegullo.com), assures that the weather needn’t spoil your plans, either, if your outdoor kitchen is in Tooting rather than Tuscany. “That’s one of the most important factors, being able to withstand the elements,” says Conforzi, whose kitchens come in a variety of colours, and are built with rust-proof, marine-grade stainless steel.
FIRE UP Top: Outdoor dining area designed by the Outdoor Kitchen Expert. Above: Officine Gullo’s outdoor kitchens come in a variety of colours
NATURAL MATERIALS Above: Designed by Louise Bradley this Vale Garden Houses extension blends indoors and outdoors. Left: Living walls bring nature into a Chelsea Waterfront penthouse, for sale with Knight Frank
Seamless transitions
To blur the boundaries between inside and out, use the same flooring for both – and make sure it’s anti-slip, such as Porcelanosa’s Par-Ker wood effect tile range, which emulates a range of wood styles, including bevelled boards, neoclassical herringbone, walnut, stripped or aged (porcelanosa.com).
And incorporate neutral tones “to direct the focus away from the floor and draw the eye through the many zones,” advises Esra Kumbasar at interior design firm Accouter (accouterdesign.com). Accouter’s design of a 19th floor apartment in Tower West at Chelsea Waterfront, priced at £6.03m through Savills (savills.com), includes turquoise and amber tones in the living room to mirror the colours of the Thames beyond. L
Your bedroom sanctuary
At Carpe Diem Beds, design takes inspiration from Swedish nature and quality is ensured from start to finish
THE CARPE DIEM BEDS STORY
Makers of luxury design beds, Carpe Diem Beds came to life on a remote island on Sweden’s west coast. Börje Thuleskär was a young and entrepreneurial chiropractor on the quest for the best night’s sleep. Using his understanding of physiology and anatomy, Thuleskär realised how important a good night’s sleep is for mental and physical health. During a visit to the craggy island of Stora Kornö, he had his Eureka moment, lying down on a bed of wild heather that moulded perfectly to his body. From then on, he was determined to develop a bed that would provide the ultimate wild heather experience for the home. Today, these beds can be found around the world. They are sophisticated, luxurious and design-focused, crafted with innovation with the wild heather philosophy at its heart.
A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Quality starts with the raw materials and Carpe Diem Beds use the finest raw materials available on the market – slow-growth Nordic pine, Talalay latex, organic cotton, and stunning fabrics from Designers Guild and The Romo Group. Expert bed makers then craft your perfect bed by hand in a Swedish manufacturing facility. The same person builds your bed from start to finish and signs the frame when done – the ultimate mark of quality. All beds come with a 25-year warranty on springs and bed frames, and a five-year warranty on the motors for the adjustable beds. EXPERIENCE THE SENSATION
In addition to the existing Wigmore Street flagship store, Carpe Diem Beds will open a second showroom on Fulham Road in Chelsea this Spring, as well as display their range of luxury beds at Harrods. “Customers looking for a new bed should consider setting aside one or two hours to unwind in our store,” says Wigmore store manager, Rui Franca. “Not only will visitors be consulted on what model suits their needs, but also what firmness works best for their body and sleep patterns. We analyse how the bed adjusts to your body and will help you select a matching pillow based on your sleep patterns and body composition.”
Finally, visiting the store means you can take full advantage of the bespoke consultation process. “We take the customer step-by-step through all our design options,” says Franca, “where you will be able to choose from 36 different fabrics and numerous leg options, offering you advice on how you can combine different fabrics and textures in the form of throw pillows and bedroom furniture that, together with the bed, will make the bedroom into your own private sanctuary.” Visit in-store to experience the beds for yourself or book a consultation online today.
CARPEDIEMBEDS.CO.UK
