Tall clients has seemingly become my middle name and Mr and Mrs HD & N were no exception. During the throws of the pandemic I got a phone call out of the blue from a lovely couple who I then met up with, masked to the hilt, in a coffee shop. They had bought a 2 bed apartment in an older block in town and the layout was just not working for them. They had a very tight galley kitchen and bathroom , resulting in Mr HD &N spending most of his time stooping to either cook or shower.
They knew exactly what they wanted but needed someone to help pull it all together, manage the design process and the project management in its entirety. I love working with dynamic creatives and these two were no exception. We had a shared vision for the end result and it was refreshing for me to work with a slightly more mid century modern look and feel once again.
For a variety of paperwork issues, the project was put on hold and it was only quite a few months later that I got a call once again from them. Since I had last seen them they had snuck in a little wedding and were now set and rearing to go ahead. Luckily I had a small gap in schedules and we decided to jump head first in and start a mere two weeks or so later.
One flew to america, the other to Johannesburg and I got handed the keys to get on with it, which is my absolute best!
I’m not sure if its the nature of the beast or the fact that time is a healer, but I remember very few issues with this project, besides the screed floor once again delaying the time lines. A large challenge of the space was more around managing the work flow, as the space was very small for too many people to work together simultaneously. Another challenge was managing the neighbors, which in an apartment block, is always a fine art. With more and more people now working from home it has become even more prevalent.
I always say how lucky I am with the clients I have, and these two were certainly no exception. It was such fun turning their vision into reality and being able to surprise them with a total apartment overhaul upon their return.
The end result is sophisticated with still the right amount of quirk and beautiful design elements in equal measure. A good flow that opens up the space for easy entertainment and functional usage.
The Brief:
Renovate a 2 bedroom flat, repositioning the kitchen and bathroom to create more space and better flow.
BEFORE:
The Transformation:
- redesign and renovate 1 bathroom with new tiles, fixtures and fittings.
- redesign and renovate kitchen with new joinery
- structural removal of wall and rebuild to enlarge space, change positioning of existing bathroom and kitchen into new positions
- new screed flooring and sanding to existing parquet
- new aluminium windows
- updating electricals and replacing existing light fittings with new
- paintwork throughout
Biggest Challenge:
Dare I say the screed floor? We thoroughly enjoyed this project but working in an apartment block always a challenge to look after the best interest of the client whilst still playing nicely with the neighbours.
Best feature: LOVE the warm wood tones with the brass taps.
AFTER:
