Case study
Stephanie’s Seven-Room Family Renovation
The Project
Stephanie and her partner had a home that worked, but never quite felt like theirs. It had been renovated by the previous owners around 2012 and left untouched since, so every room was perfectly liveable but not personal to them. They came to us for one space: the open-plan kitchen and dining room where they spend most of their time, and where they do most of their entertaining. Stephanie had a strong vision of what she wanted, but knew that some professional assistance would be needed to execute it.
To add to things, they soon found out they were expecting their baby girl, and the brief grew. Two bedrooms, a nursery and the hallways were added to our scope, with an ambitious deadline of finishing before the baby arrived. They chose our Hybrid+ service, which is our e-design package with additional hand-holding support added on, tailored to the client’s needs. Stephanie opted for an initial site visit, and trade appointing.
The Challenge
A fixed, immovable deadline and a house that had to keep working around it. There was no architect on this project, so the design needed to be resolved and specified tightly enough for the builders, Russell Hewes, to build from.
Then the bifold doors were delayed, and what should have been a twelve-week kitchen became seven months. That delay is the reason the rest of the house was done at the same time, with the family living in one room, without a kitchen, and with Stephanie pregnant throughout.
The Goal
A home that finally felt like them. Timeless and classic, warm with natural materials and soft neutral tones, vintage-inspired pieces balanced with a few modern touches, and enough personality to be interesting without looking like a trend they had followed too closely.
The Design Decisions
Stephanie and her partner were open to colour drenching, statement lighting and wallpaper from the outset, as long as each one was balanced against more timeless elements. That balance is the whole scheme.
A walnut island anchors an otherwise quiet kitchen. The master bedroom is colour drenched, with fitted wardrobes built into the scheme rather than added on top of it. The nursery takes its character from wallpaper. Looking back at the original moodboard, the finished home sits remarkably close to the first vision, with a little more flair.
The Transformation
Seven rooms, one cohesive scheme. The open-plan kitchen and dining space is now the heart of the house, with the walnut island as its focal point and the cocktail cabinet as its party piece.
Upstairs, the master bedroom is calm and colour drenched, the nursery has a character of its own, and the hallways, so often the leftover spaces in a period home, now tie the whole house together.
In Stephanie's Words
“Don’t hesitate. Topology made what would have been a very stressful process genuinely enjoyable, and gave us the confidence to make bold decisions that we are so happy with. We always felt like we were in safe hands.”
Her advice to anyone about to start something similar: the stress, the dust and the inevitable delays are all worth it. Stay focused on the end result, and enjoy the parts of the process you can.
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If Stephanie’s home has struck a chord, we’d love to hear about your project. Whether you want a full design scheme or a little expert guidance to get started, our packages are designed to meet you where you are. Get in touch and we’ll point you in the right direction.
