A Stylish Studio

Gráinne O’Neill owner of Architectural Spaces had always dreamed of working from home while keeping her home life separate from her work. When she was redesigning her old farmhouse, which we featured in our last issue, she decided to design a secluded working space in her lovely garden that would be far enough away from the house so as not to intrude on her home life. She modelled the design of the studio on that of an old hunting lodge. The curved studio nestles into the small woodland area which at this time of the year displays a carpet of bluebells.

The idea was to create an airy and comfortable working environment where she could meet her clients in a relaxed atmosphere. This studio is like a tardis, on entering it the feeling is one of space and light. Through clever detailing she has designed this working studio so that it if ever required it could easily become a self contained garden house complete with kitchen, toilet and wet area.
Gráinne has designed two large rooms one is her own office and meeting area and the other is her CAD room and where she also houses her vast selection of fabrics, wallpapers and accessories. Clients can move between both spaces with ease. With attention to detail she incorporated high ceilings, uplight details and curved coving which gives a sense of space and atmosphere. Grainne often designs soft, curved and organic shapes within her work, which again she has successfully incorporated into her studio.  The long windows frame the beauty of the country garden outside and which can be seen from every angle. French doors lead to the courtyard, house, woodland and rear  garden which is now blooming with daffodils.

Grainne’s studio fulfills every element she was looking for in a  work place. It is not hard to see how all her wonderful design ideas and schemes come together in this inspirational and magnificent setting.


Featured in Upstairs Downstairs Interior Design Magazine - April/May 2011

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City Renovation - A Stylish Transformation

As Featured in this month's Upstairs Downstairs magazine.

We redesigned everything from the spatial plans, joinery and lighting right through to the finishes. The original internal spatial plan did not have any curved soft internal walls or central curved sweeping stairs. The original entrance hall, corridor and rooms were square and lead off a rectangular hall, landing and straight stairs. Our clients’ request was to soften the space and make it more stimulating - and to introduce much more natural light, so we set to work on redesigning the existing layout together with plans that they had already sought for an extension. After a few meetings over a variety of layouts, we developed a final spatial plan that we were all very pleased with.

Entering the house through the front feature door, one is instantly struck by the 'wow' factor our clients wished for. We created a specifically designed curved staircase, positioned in the centre of the house. All of the corridors and the rooms on the first floor flow serenely from that central feature. In the hall and landing we designed a unique curved corridor with double height void and a high ceiling detail, which allows natural light to gently and beautifully illuminate the centre of the house. The detailing of the feature skirting, architrave, doors, coving and staircase can be immediately appreciated and admired. The staircase and hallways are subtly lit with LED lighting and soft overheads. All lighting levels can be controlled throughout the house.

The magnificent staircase sits majestically on the solid marble floor, which extends throughout the ground floor corridors. The marble continues into the kitchen and dining area where it meets the timber floor in the open plan living room.

 
The bespoke cream and walnut kitchen is located at the rear of the original house. The island was designed as the central hub of the kitchen, containing functional items as well as a casual high level seating area. The kitchen flows effortlessly through feature glass folding doors into the living room. The glass folding doors help to separate the kitchen and dining area from the living space, while still allowing natural light into the kitchen. And given the flexibility of the spatial design, if the family wishes to open the entire space as one, they have the option to do so.

The living room occupies the new extension at the rear of the house and, with its large windows and doors, natural light pours once again into the open space. The living room continues the warm and welcoming look - and with the inset solid fuel fire detail, fresh fabrics, rug and feature wall paper; this is a truly bright and uplifting space to retreat to. The palate of colours and fabrics chosen for the open plan kitchen and living space creates lovely warmth and a more intimate mood at night, while augmenting the feeling of space at the same time.

 

On ascending the central stairs, one is greeted by the rich luxurious carpet which is complemented by the feature wallpaper on the curved wall. All of the bedrooms flow aesthetically from the central curved landing, with shared en-suites with bespoke wet areas. We located the master bedroom with large walk-in wardrobe and en-suite in the new extension on the first floor above the living room. The feeling of space in the master bedroom is greatly enhanced by the high ceiling with a concealed up-light detail. Relaxing and luxurious fabrics and wallpaper give this suite a feeling of understated yet supreme elegance.

This newly extended and renovated home has been redesigned with much improvement, showing how a small investment in expertise can go a very long way indeed. Now this is a beautiful home that is also a showcase of good design, blending innovative curved corridors, double height voids, feature curved first floor landing and a palate of inviting colours and textures. All in all, this is a tribute to detail, splendour and style.

Read complete article at http://www.architecturalspaces.com.