‘We’d designed their previous home, which they’d been very happy with – and so they came to us straight away again when they wanted to move once more, looking for more space this time and a different way of planning the layout. In fact, we worked with them even from before the purchase, to help them find the right property for their vision from the outset,’ says McLauchlan.
According to McLauchlan, this was a very design-literate client. ‘The brief was extremely clear and the client very much involved at all stages.’
The main focus of the brief was a desire for lateral living, meaning that the ground floor of the space is effectively one continuous space divided up into a series of zones: kitchen, informal dining, lounge, formal dining area, offering maximum flexibility.
The kitchen, for example, can be zoned off with a sliding panel, which also helps contain the family’s children and pets when necessary. Leading off from the kitchen is a playroom for the kids, and a further utility area with under-floor heating, which also serves as a wet room for showering the dogs. All the plant elements were contained within a basement extension to maximise living space.
As well as creating a contemporary, stylish scheme, McLauchlan says it was also important to bear in mind that this is a busy family home, so it also had to be robust, practical and functional: ‘Lifestyle was very much the main driver so hard-wearing materials were very important, but without ever sacrificing quality. The kitchen, for example, features reconstituted stone, which retains its condition well – much better, say, than stainless steel or marble.’