House Designer

The layout is the decision that makes or breaks a kitchen. Not the cabinet colour, not the worktop, not the taps. The pattern we see most is people falling for a look, usually a big island in the middle of the room, before working out whether the space can actually hold it. Sometimes it can. Often it cannot, and the honest conversation about why is where the real design start...

When we hand over a planting plan, the question that comes back most often is a nervous one: what is all of this going to cost me? It is a fair question, because plant prices are strangely opaque. A trip to the garden centre gives you a price for one lavender, but no sense of what a whole border adds up to, and no way of knowing whether you are paying a fair price for it.

We have just finished a small ensuite shower room, and the results are worth sharing. The brief was simple but exciting: a space that felt both luxurious and practical within the compact footprint of an ensuite. Our client was drawn to deep green tones paired with gold accents, a combination that brings warmth and a real sense of sophistication. Here is how we designed a bath...

Most homeowners think about adding value through kitchens and bathrooms. But the garden is often where the strongest first impression is made, and where a relatively modest investment can have a disproportionate impact on how a property is perceived and valued. This guide covers the plants and garden improvements that consistently deliver the highest return, and what to weigh...

Curtains can make a ceiling look taller, a window look wider and a room feel finished, or do the exact opposite. It comes down to a few measurements most people get wrong. Our designers specify curtains as part of nearly every room scheme, so these are the rules we work to on real projects. And for the fitting detail, we asked Nancy Panther, who runs a family curtain business...