design et al are delighted to announce that Turner Pocock have won the Living Space – UK Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2017.
This project involved a unique artist’s studio conversion, with amazing character, light and attention to detail throughout. It manages an interesting mix of contemporary finishes and bespoke details, creating a curated blend of old and new. The house has a unique sense of scale to the open plan living spaces which, combined with large expanses of glazing, floods the space with natural light to create the perfect environment for living. The design brief was to work with and celebrate these elements, but at the same time provide a warmth and comfort in the house that would allow an ease of use all year round.
Pattern, texture and colour are something that Turner Pocock always love incorporating into designs, and this was well and truly the heart of the brief. With both double volume/open plan living spaces and cosy basement cinema rooms, the house has varied atmospheres which allowed Turner Pocock to design with a combination of different finishes and fabrics. The house also needed to feel comfortable and lived in, and by blending old and new the designers were able to give the house an organic feel that can be added to over time. The core of the architectural detailing is contemporary, but this is fused with the unique architectural elements that came with its history as an artist studio. Features include a dramatic staircase creating a backbone to the space, brass inlays in the floors, timber clad ceilings, crittal windows, polished plaster walls and the unique joinery.
Although the general pallette is quite neutral, and there is a consistency in feel from one room to the next, the designers balanced the soft and hard finished well to give each room the punch it needed to stand unique from the rest. Turner Pocock’s favourite aspect of the project was the bespoke joinery throughout the house – they were bold with colour and the incorporation of brass detailing which really makes each piece unique (the kitchen island especially). They believe the design works so well because it allowed them to keep the joinery quite simple in terms of form, but gave each piece so much interest.
All in all the joinery in the house is something that Turner Pocock have not really seen before. Turner Pocock drew from varied inspirations for the joinery, and the mix of periods lends itself well to the home being a former artist’s studio. It works holistically with the space, and does not feel like the designers have forced any of the joinery into an environment to which it would not feel expected. This project is a brilliant example of how working with a talented and committed team (across the board) allows you to achieve a fantastic result.