design et al are delighted to announce that Clare Gaskin Interiors have been shortlisted for Living Space – Global Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2017.
This project involved the transformation of a Georgian Lodge into a teenage fun house and gym. The client’s son had asked for a basketball hoop in the back garden. Instead, as a surprise, the client bought a Georgian Lodge near the main house. The brief was simple, to maintain the exterior of this quaint lodge but to create a playful den inside, suitable for entertaining the client’s children and their teenage friends.
Playfulness was the watchword, with the client referencing fantastical spaces from his travels, such as the neon extravaganza of Burning Man and Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant. The client’s only request was for a gym, sauna and basketball court (in place of a hoop). The basketball hoop was honoured with the development of a multipurpose court – with lines that change colour to allow different ball games to be played. The interior required a complete strip out and refurb. Bedrooms were removed in favour of gaming and chill out rooms. The kitchen minimised to the bare essentials and the rear façade, originally a messy mix of dated extensions, unified with Crittall style glazing.
An Alice in Wonderland door within a door is the first hint of the kaleidoscopic craziness within. A white room with only touches of colour leads onto gaming rooms bursting with energy. The graffiti room includes a wet room with mosaic tiles referencing the client’s beloved PacMan. Whilst the neon room includes a bespoke designed sofa which can be transformed for sleepovers. Beyond these initial rooms, the hallway relates back to the traditional with the introduction of panelling and tile and lattice oak flooring. Sophistication continues into the Gym and Lounge with antiqued mirror glass and a classic wallpaper to create a more relaxed feeling.
At the client’s very trusting insistence, he wanted to be as surprised as his children and was kept in the dark as to the final designs. This led to a very nervous grand reveal… For Clare Gaskin Interiors, the favourite aspect was to be given such an exciting brief, which pushed their creativity and indulged their inner child. For the client, the designers created a fun house, a very different space to his home, expressing a hidden side of his personality and passions. All photography was completed by Nick Smith.