A Modern Family Home With A Touch Of Art Deco

When dk INTERIORS took on a project to redesign the interior of this family home, the brief was simple yet exacting: create a luxurious, comfortable home, with an art deco influence.

However, the scale of the project was more complex than that: it involved the complete renovation of the 1970’s low-level five-bedroom house, with the layout being completely reconfigured to improve the sense of flow and make it more conducive to family life.

The house is owned by a husband and wife with grown-up children (one of whom lives with them), and it had to be suitable for socialising: Debra Kacher of dk INTERIORS describes it as ‘a welcoming family home with children, grandchildren and dogs coming and going’.

‘The client wanted a luxurious, elegant, comfortable home, contemporary but definitely not minimal and combining modernity with a classic look.’

To make the layout of the house better suited to the lifestyles of the people who live there, one of the bedrooms has been turned into a home gym, and a double-sided fireplace by Modus (which is open on both sides) creates a symbolic division between the living room and dining area without separating these spaces completely.

Initially, Archplan architects was brought in to gain the planning permission and achieve the basic layout principles and structure of the house; once these were in place, though, dk INTERIORS designed all of the internal features including the staircase, architraves, doors, joinery, bathroom layouts and dressing room. Kacher then worked closely with a team including a project manager (TMD), contractor, kitchen designer (Neil Lerner), garden designer (Claire Mee), and, of course, the clients themselves, both of whom were involved in shaping the project.

Once the layout of the house was planned to suit the client’s needs, Kacher moved on to designing a scheme that would represent their personal tastes too. The house itself is modern, clean and minimal, so it needed a few decorative touches to bring it to life.

Says Kacher: ‘The clients own quite a few art deco pieces of sculpture, art and lighting; they like that style, and as the house was so clean in style, we decided to use that influence to achieve some warmth and character. Also a lot of glass was being added to the house which can be cold, so it needed that warmth and character to soften the hard edges.’

Kacher continued the art deco feel by adding bronze plated ironmongery to the doors and an ebonised wood  balustrade, french polished by Pale Amber which complements a simple timber staircase. Vintage and new lighting from Christopher Guy, Porta Romana and Baroncelli, together with polished plaster and textured wallpaper from Altfield and Nobilis-Fontan, also pick up on the art deco style.

To make the most of this classic feel, Kacher sourced simple and elegant furniture and fixtures including sanitary-ware from CP Hart, and furniture from Julian Chichester, Porta Romana, Christopher Guy, and The Sofa & Chair Company.

‘The client wanted a luxurious, elegant, comfortable home, contemporary but definitely not minimal and combining modernity with a classic look,’ says Kacher.

Some of the furniture, such as the leather sofas and armchairs in the living room, dining table and sideboard, already belonged to the client. ‘The clients existing furniture was added to by dining chairs from The Sofa & Chair Company and soft furnishings, with beautiful textured and patterned fabrics from Rubelli, Donghia, Dedar and Osborne and Little,’ says Kacher.

One of the most immediately impressive areas of the house is the new double height, glass-fronted entrance hall. ‘This needed to have an immediate impact as one entered the house so I used a Porta Romana gold-based console table with a black lacquered top to complement the new French-polished ebonised balustrade together with a oversized mirror by Christopher Guy and wall lights, also by Christopher Guy. The clients then found the amazing bronze-patinised dog sculpture, which really sets off the look in the hallway.’

According to Kacher, it was the sense of collaboration that makes this interior a success: ‘there was a great level of collaboration with the clients and whole team involved in the project,’ says Kacher. ‘And having clients that are as receptive and open as these ones were always helps.’

dk INTERIORS – www.dkinteriors.uk.com

Photography – Fisher Hart