The Sunday Mail
These magnificent renovation projects from top designers have plenty of advice and ideas for your schemes.
Planning a project in 2021?
These are our pick of the best renovation ideas to inspire you for the year ahead.
There are extensions — including a kitchen extension — obviously, but we are showcasing some of our favourite interior renovations that you can complete with little upheaval and maximum impact.
The perfect hallway renovation
Framing her door in bold black brought definition to the entrance of New York-based interior designer Athena Calderone’s Brooklyn townhouse.
‘This is the entrance to our house in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill. It is the eighth house that my husband — music DJ Victor Calderone — and I have bought and renovated. When we bought it in 2015, the house had been divided into several apartments and was in need of some love. The project took three years to complete and we now think of it as our forever home.
Working with the architect Elizabeth Roberts, we removed the wall between the staircase and the living room to maximise the feeling of space. This is the parlour floor, which has an open-plan living room with a dining room and kitchen. I have balanced warm woods with blush pinks against a polarising monochrome backdrop. The contrast of white walls with a black-painted arched doorway engages the eye.
The Luxe dining room — and dance floor
Using luxe materials and an atmospheric palette, Australian-born interior designer Peter Mikic has delivered a dramatic dining room complete with dance floor.
This space is in the basement of a house in Notting Hill. It has no windows so the decorative approach from the start was to work on the atmosphere, making the room wonderfully dark and moody.
Fundamental to its success was getting the lighting scheme spot on. Here, a big source of light is from the bar that glows at night — it makes everyone in the room look wonderful.
The bar was my own design and has a slight 1970s twist. The bottom half is made of fumed eucalyptus and the top has glass shelves with brass trims backed by antique mirror.
We wanted the room to be dual-purpose. The owners can sit 14 people down to dinner and, after that is finished, the table can be split into three and lowered to cocktail level using a hydraulic system, leaving room for dancing.
The Bespoke garden room — with space for home working
This bespoke garden room by London-based Eamonn Agha from Huntsmore pairs relaxed greens and greys.
The original conservatory of this Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in London’s Kensington was prone to leaks, damp and suffered from a collapsing floor.
Once we had been given the relevant planning permissions and listed building consent, it was removed and replaced with an elegant garden room.
Now that modern building techniques and technology ensure that garden rooms maintain a constant temperature, they can be used comfortably throughout the seasons. This was designed as a multi-purpose space, acting as both a home office but also as a general relaxing area for the family.
To make the most of the abundance of light and set off the garden views, a colour palette of light tones of green and grey was paired with warm wood floors and furniture. — homesandgardens.com
