No detail is too small, no room is beyond our remit, and no concern is off the menu.
How can we talk about architecture without talking about interiors? We can’t. But we know that’s how people often think of architects – as designers of the bones of a building but none of the flesh. Instead, we see it all as part of one seamless, joined-up design journey. No detail is too small, no room is beyond our remit, and no concern is off the menu.
Every home is made up of a thousand tiny decisions, and we want each one of those to be right. We’re thinking about kitchen storage, about bathroom taps, about the view from the bed, about where you’ll put your keys, and about how you’ll move from one space into another.
Of course everyone wants to get these things right. But it’s all too easy to feel the hard work is done too soon. The building’s watertight, the empty spaces are beckoning, and the bulk of the heavy lifting is over. We’ve seen it too many times, and we know just what a slippery slope it can be.
Now’s not the time to take your eyes off the destination, to leave the rest to chance, or to let go of the myriad threads that come together to make a house a home. Of course it’s tempting. You’re saving money here and there. You’ve got a handle on it all, and you’re trusting your instincts and your gut. But those last-minute kitchen and bathroom designers you’ve drafted in don’t know the space – or know you – like we do. And the furniture off the internet is, well, who knows? All of this makes for a disjointed, piecemeal, unsettling process. (It also makes us sad, but that’s our problem, not yours.)
With each person pushing or pulling you in a different direction, you’ve lost sight of where you were headed. There’ll be unexpected stumbling blocks to trip you up. And what you’ve saved by a bit of canny shopping will be taken up by unexpected costs – and stress. We don’t mean to scare you, but we do mean to show you that there’s another, much better way.
Modern Architects In West Sussex
Ours is a full-building approach, with as much rigour brought to your interiors as to the walls and roof of your home, and as much meaning attached to your hallway as to your dining space.
Mood lighting, task lighting, bedroom joinery, kitchen appliances, window coverings – none of these should be left to chance or be a hurried afterthought. We’ve all seen curtains designed to look the part at night, with no thought given for how – or where exactly – they’ll stack come morning. In short, investing time, money and thought early on will save you from costly, irritating, ‘why-didn’t-I-think-of-that’ mistakes further down the line.
We’ve designed larders, drink cabinets, bespoke door handles, AV cupboards, TV units that pop up out of nowhere, and even a vanity unit with a pull-out step (no ugly plastic stools here, please!). That’s a small thing for a small person, but it makes a difference. And if we need to make space for your precious but oversized dining table, we’ll set the wheels in motion early so that it slots in perfectly.
There are other things which are harder to put your finger on: natural light, shadow, texture, and the interplay between these. Whether night or day, filled with friends or enveloping you in cosiness and ‘hygge’ on an evening in, your home needs to feel right and be comfortable in its skin.
We’re not interested in pattern for pattern’s sake, but we are interested in pattern that contributes to a joyful, uplifting mood. We’re not interested in decoration as such, but we are interested in bringing different elements together so that the sum is greater than the parts. And we won’t talk about ‘themed’ rooms because that’s just not the way we see things.
Admittedly, there’s a lot for you to think about. But it’s what we’re trained to do, and it comes naturally to us. Our job is to help you and your family – the ones who will be living, playing, growing and learning in these very spaces – understand how everything (the things money both can and can’t buy) will come together to create a home that truly works.
It’s a challenge we embrace, in both sophisticated and less sophisticated ways. On the one hand, we’re using the latest tech and 3D software to give you a sense of the scale and flow, and, on the other, we’re taking you to showrooms so that you can see – and touch! – the things which will one day be part of your home.
Let’s not forget just how much time we spend indoors, and how important it is to find joy in the smaller things – eating breakfast, clearing up after dinner, settling down in front of the TV, and the many other rhythms that shape our daily lives.
We haven’t been singing enough about this whole-picture, beginning-to-end, outside-inside approach, and the deep, deep difference it can make. But now we’re changing our tune, and it’s time to sing loud and clear. Because, yes, we’re interested in how your home looks from the outside, but how it makes you feel on the inside – well, that’s what matters most of all.