Stockton Heath, warrington
Grade-II listed Georgian renovation
Working closely with the client and their Architect we gained planning permission to increase the property’s footprint by a remarkable 150%.
A Grade-II listed Georgian property in a conservation area had its challenges although we were able to offer a complete turnkey service and finishes to an exceptional standard. Incorporating some indulgent surprises.
Our client used to pass this house (now in a dilapidated state) on his journeys to school. It became a dream fulfilment to fully restore it to its former glory and additionally complement new areas for modern life.
The Brief
Our brief was to then aid the client with full turnkey services to space plan, design and fit and evolve this classic Georgian ‘box’ house, restoring it to its former glory whilst creating a fresh lifestyle proposition.
Initially to support the Architect we contributed to a significant early success: gaining planning permission, in a conservation area, to increase the property’s size by an astonishing one and a half times.
This was a project where no stone would be left unturned to achieve an outcome we knew was possible.
We had the idea of inlaying leather elements to the central area of an otherwise traditional stone floor.
This quirky, playful contemporary attitude continues at ceiling level and an installation of almost ‘feathery’ lighting.We also carefully reinstated some of the original joinery in the wall panelling.
Dining in splendour
Now comes a change of pace: a solid wood herringbone pattern floor, contrasted with the softest of silk rugs.
The centrepiece is a breath-taking, highly lacquered dining table that is completed with two-tone upholstered chairs in cream leather with striking blue backs complementing the owner’s artwork and embellished with mother-of-pearl handles.
Dining Room Details
This imposing arrangement is set off with a rock crystal chandelier and matching wall lights that reflect beautifully in the silk wallpaper.
We also added what is called a ‘cold-applied metal’ which gives a bronzed effect to an original wall art feature, giving a real juxtaposition of classical and contemporary styles. This included a bespoke stingray-skin sideboard, completed with a horse sculpture and flanking table lamps.
The centre fireplace was then replaced in a Portland stone with a Christopher Guy mirror above to finish the room completely.
Before & After of the Dining Room
The Drawing Room
What strikes you here is the tranquillity of the space with its floor-to-ceiling panelling and beautiful bay window (which was rebuilt).
The fireplace, again in Portland stone, has a contemporary twist to the dogs and hearth. We weren’t afraid to go bold, using a dark and almost cobalt blue that sets off the bespoke sofa and sculptural side tables.
Study
The study has an abundance of beautifully crafted bespoke joinery. The desk and all cabinetry are made in a special ‘fumed oak’, and we extended this finish to the windows, architraves and all of the panelling.
We’ve also had some fun: the desktop is inlaid with ultra-fine herringbone cross weave suede details, in the draw linings and even in the suede chairs that sit in front of the fire, all elegantly lit with diffused LED strips in the cabinetry.
Exceptional Powder Room
No room is too small for the sense of drama that pervades this house. This WC is finished to super yacht standard with floor-to-ceiling walls in high gloss lacquer timber, with inlaid eglomisé antique mirroring all the way through and tall wall lights adorning a hammered metal basin.
The Kitchen & Champagne Bar
This is where you really grasp the scale of the new extension. We have created a south-facing, beautifully elegant elevation, somewhat like a large orangery.
This space houses the dining table, with roof lantern-light flooding into the hand-painted kitchen. This then leads you off into two different zones.
The first is a tasting room, flanked by wine and champagne cases on either side. A high-level, backlit onyx table with bar stools creates the perfect environment in which to sip cocktails, flanked with beautiful atmospheric pendants.
Before & After of the Day-Living Cinema
New Subterranean Leisure & Show Garage
The boot room off the kitchen has a staircase that takes you down to a complete spa experience. As you approach you are greeted by a cascading light feature of hand-blown crystals which adorns one whole wall from floor to ceiling, signaling a change of mood.
The gym is raised and fully glazed so that you can overlook the pool, which is enclosed by three walls. Water cascades from the rear wall into the pool, with the glow of LEDs dancing on the water. Beyond, glazed doors open out onto a stunning sunken terrace for a total haven of privacy.”
Pool & Spa Facilities
The spa itself is raised from the deck level of the swimming pool, and the steam room and sauna sit together in a completely circular fashion to complement the circular spa.
Natural light is provided by the doors to the sunken outdoor terrace.
Underground Garage / Studio
Even the garaging is special, hiding almost Bond-like gadgetry. A secure car lift takes you and your car down into the lower garage which has accommodation for a further four vehicles.
We have dressed it to gallery showcase the very special cars it houses, with reflective surfaces and feature task lighting doubling as a photographic studio.
A small galley kitchen/utility and storage space divides this space from the leisure section but it will be useful to both spaces.
Upstairs
on the first floor we introduce a kind of ‘boutique hotel’ ethos. We wanted to create an air of sumptuous comfort, punctuated throughout with design surprises. So for example you’re greeted by the amazing roof lantern over the hallway combined with sculptural pendant light with bronzing and gilding to the inside.
Each bathroom is individually designed, and we’ve sourced stone from the best quarries on a tone-on-tone colour palette.
We also commissioned handmade bespoke cabinetry for the bedrooms, encompassing both wardrobe and dressing space. More discretely, the linen rooms and service cupboards have been located out of sight, away from the guest rooms.
Master Bedroom – Secret Dressing Room
A fine house demands a ‘statement suite’ and this one lives up to that aim. We have reinstated a magnificent Georgian fireplace and even opened up a very secret second dressing room, intriguingly accessed through an existing cabinet.
A bespoke headboard with an LED surround gives a halo effect to this fully upholstered bedhead. We have unleashed ideas ranging from sculptured, artistic floor lamps to a silver snake leather chest of drawers.
And yet this is just a taster of what’s to come when you meander past the console and ornate mirror, through the main dressing room of bespoke lacquered birds eye maple woods and contrasting leather inlays with a central ottoman and above a pendant light giving tonal light refractions. From there you can enter the Master en-suite Bathroom.
Indulgent Master Bathroom
The bath has been dressed in silver metallic crocodile leather with a backdrop to the bath of bookmatched and backlit Labrador quartz stone. This stands floor to ceiling with the taps and spouts mounted on the wall and out of the marble itself.
The toilet cistern has been cunningly hidden behind the listed cupboards to bring function where there is character.
Playful Marble
The vanity unit has inlaid leather materials and has been shaped and sculpted to the room. A beautiful shower enclosure completes the room with body jets and a complete wellness experience.
Right down to the bordering detail – the tiling design was critical and laid with meticulous precision over weeks and months – ensuring an ensuite you don’t want to leave.
Entering through the gates you sweep up a gravel drive. An extensive program of planting and introducing mature trees has given the house a suitable stature outside as well as in.
The garden has a two-tiered approach with broad stone steps leading down to the manicured lower-level terrace. In turn, this takes you to a sunken lounging space off the main spa. This is subtly complemented by seamless glass balustrading in order not to detract from the heavy detailing of the Georgian structure.
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