How To Make A New-Build Home Feel Warm & Timeless

The entrance sets the tone for the rest of the house, creating an immediate balance between classical and contemporary detailing. One of the defining features is the bronze Crittall screen with ribbed glass. We wanted to create a degree of privacy for the sitting room while still allowing light to filter through. The bronze metalwork brings warmth, while the ribbed glass adds texture and a sense of separation without making the hall feel enclosed.

We chose the wall lights in alabaster for their materiality and sculptural quality. The softness of the alabaster contrasts beautifully with the bronze, creating a gentle, atmospheric light. The furniture was kept relatively simple to maintain an open, clutter-free feel, with bespoke entrance and cloakroom joinery providing practical storage.

Console Table: Byron Console Table, Restoration Hardware
Mirror: Mid-Century Curved Metal Frame Mirror, John Lewis
Wall Lights: Hepworth Short Alabaster Wall Lights, CTO Lighting
Paint: Portland Stone Pale 155, Little Greene

The formal sitting room was designed to feel slightly more sophisticated and intimate than the other living spaces. It is somewhere the family can entertain but also retreat to in the evenings. We wanted to balance the classical architectural detailing with contemporary furniture and lighting. Wall mouldings and cornicing give the room a sense of permanence, while the furniture introduces softer, more sculptural forms.

One of the main features is the bespoke curved timber joinery, which incorporates the television and linear fireplace into one architectural composition. The furniture was chosen for its generous proportions and rounded silhouettes, helping the room feel elegant without becoming precious. The chandelier is one of our favourite elements. It has a wonderful sculptural quality and feels almost like an art installation suspended from the ceiling. We complemented it with decorative wall lighting and a restrained palette of textured fabrics, allowing the different materials and forms to bring interest.

Sofa: Saint-Germain, Poliform
Lounge Chairs: Pacha Swivel Lounge Chairs, GUBI
Chandelier: Cloud 25, Apparatus
Wall Light: Bide, Bert Frank
Floor Lamp: Ozz Floor, Miniforms
Curtain Fabric: Kotor, Villa Nova
Rug: Mattia Wool Rug, Benuta
Paint: Portland Stone Pale 155, Little Greene

The kitchen and dining area was designed to be the heart of the home, somewhere the family could gather throughout the day as well as entertain. We worked alongside Espresso Design on the kitchen, with the aim of creating something that felt fully integrated into the wider interiors. The combination of warm timber and Taj Mahal quartzite was central to the scheme – we love the softness of the leathered quartzite, particularly its creamy tones and delicate veining, which work beautifully with the timber finishes. The stone is used as a feature in its own right, bringing movement and texture without overwhelming the space. We paid close attention to the detailing of the island, cabinetry and lighting to create a cohesive composition.

The pendant introduces a clean, architectural element above the island, while the decorative lighting elsewhere brings a softer, more sculptural quality. The dining area was conceived as an extension of the kitchen but with its own identity, using a bespoke dining table and upholstered bench seating to balance the harder surfaces of the stone and timber. Layered lighting creates a particularly lovely atmosphere in the evenings.

Bar Stools: Gropius CS2/75, NOOM
Pendant: Highline Pendant, Rakumba
Wall Lights: Hepworth Short, CTO Lighting
Pendants: Luna 550, J Adams & Co
Artwork: Sarah Hobson 
Paint: Portland Stone Pale 155, Little Greene

The home office was designed as a retreat from the busier family areas. Screens can be closed completely for privacy or folded open so the room becomes part of the media room. We wanted the office to have a more intimate, atmospheric quality, achieved through darker tones, timber and carefully considered lighting. The room is colour drenched with the paint taken across the walls, ceiling, cornices, doors and architraves. This creates a beautifully cocooning effect and gives the room a sense of calm. Bespoke oak joinery introduces warmth and texture, balancing the deeper paint colour, while integrated shelving and storage keep the space practical without making it feel cluttered.

Desk & Cabinetry: Bespoke oak desk & cabinetry, Origins Design 
Screens: Perla 
Rug: Coral & Hive 
Paint: Rolling Fog Dark 160, Little Greene

The media room was designed as one of the most relaxed spaces in the house, somewhere the whole family could gather to watch films and spend time together. We designed the joinery before working with the AV team at Lighthouse, who helped ensure the technology worked seamlessly with the clients’ requirements. There is a large projected screen, with the projector concealed within the ceiling cove.

The room sits between the office and playroom but can be separated with two large, fully automated suede curtains. These help with sound absorption as well as blocking out the light. The sofa works particularly well here because it has a contemporary silhouette but feels incredibly inviting. It is also one of the most comfortable sofas we have ever sat on. We wanted the room to feel considered but informal, without anything becoming too precious.

Sofa: Groundpiece, Flexform
Ottoman: Bangkok Standard, Flexform 
Side Tables: Insula Piccolo, Fredericia
Floor Lamp: Ozz Floor, Miniforms
Paint: Rolling Fog Dark 160, Little Greene

The games room was conceived as a more playful space, but we wanted it to have the same level of design consideration as the rest of the house. The library wall and ladder form the backdrop to the basement when viewed from above, adding a wonderful sense of character and making the room feel more established. The table tennis table was selected as much for its design as its function, so it could sit comfortably alongside the other furniture rather than looking like a piece of sports equipment. As with the other basement rooms, we used a deeper tonal palette to create warmth and atmosphere.

Joinery & Ladder: Bespoke library joinery & ladder, Origins Design
Paint: Rolling Fog Dark 160, Little Greene

For the main bedroom, we wanted to create a calm, restful retreat with a slightly more refined and classical aesthetic. The palette is deliberately soft and tonal, relying on subtle differences in texture rather than strong colour contrasts. We developed the bed wall as a cohesive composition, combining a bespoke upholstered headboard with decorative lighting and carefully selected bedside furniture. The upholstered headboard brings softness and comfort, while the stone bedside tables introduce a contrasting material and a more contemporary element. We wanted the room to feel elegant without becoming overly formal, so we balanced the architectural detailing with generous upholstery, soft curtains and tactile fabrics. The decorative lighting plays an important role, introducing sculptural forms without overwhelming the space.

Headboard: Bespoke upholstered headboard, Origins Design
Bed: Max Storage Bed, Furl
Bedside Tables: Mulholland Stone Closed Nightstands, Restoration Hardware
Bench: Esther Bench, Soho Home
Pendants: Trevi & Lucid Pendant 200, CTO Lighting
Reading Lights: Fuse Recessed Reading Lights, Astro
Curtain Fabric: Kotor, Villa Nova
Armchair: Robert Langford 

The en-suite was designed to feel calm and almost spa-like, with natural materials and simple architectural detailing. We wanted the stone to be the main feature, keeping the rest of the palette restrained. Bespoke vanity and integrated storage allow everyday items to be concealed, while mirrors and lighting create a softer, more residential feel.

As with the rest of the house, the detailing is intentionally understated. We wanted the sense of luxury to come through in the quality and relationship between the materials rather than through unnecessary ornamentation.

Wall Light: Nula Nula, Heathfield & Co 
Ceramic Stone Finishes: Domus
Vanity & Storage: Bespoke vanity and integrated storage, Origins Design

For this bedroom, we wanted to introduce a slightly more playful and feminine quality while maintaining the overall aesthetic of the house. The starting point was a softer, warmer palette, with gentle pink and salmon tones and plenty of natural texture. We chose a dreamy pink for the walls, ceiling and architectural detailing, creating a beautifully enveloping effect. The upholstered window seat is one of the loveliest features, creating a cosy place to read or relax. Bespoke cabinetry provides practical storage, while the hanging chair adds a playful element that feels at home in the scheme.

Bed: Mirage Storage Bed, Furl
Bedside Table: Sims, Tommy Franks 
Hanging Chair: Hanging Egg Chair with Cushion, Tectake 
Wall Lamp: Adrion Small, Schwung 
Walls, Ceiling & Architectural Detailing: Julie’s Dream 26, Little Greene
Joinery: Portland Stone Pale 155, Little Greene

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Photography credit: Simon Bevan
Styling credit: Ali Brown