From the people who move you: Ed Brassey
Ed Brassey, head of Strutt & Parker’s Market Harborough office reflects on the impact of spending more time in our homes in the past year.
Take 5… Homes with wonderful interiors
Interior design has evolved dramatically over time and will undoubtedly continue to do so. The practice originally dates back to the Ancient Egyptians, known for their ornate murals, but the 18th and 19th centuries is where it opened up to the masses. With fashion magazines hitting the shelves during the industrial revolution and increased global travel, interior design became more accessible and there were a slew of innovative design movements including Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the industrial Bauhaus style.
By the 20th century, functionality had become a more prominent component with advances in technology and shifts in room use as open plan became a dominant trend in the 1990s. This prompted a new challenge to design spaces with more than just aesthetic reasons in mind and led to the age of modern interior design, eclecticism, which draws styles together to create personality and character.
Today, our everyday lifestyles have gone through another irrevocable change and designs are transforming to accommodate this. Whether it’s adapting our space to incorporate home-working, or welcoming new members into our homes, there are a number of ways design can influence. For larger, open-plan homes, broken-plan living is a growing trend or for smaller homes, multifunctional rooms offer a way to create a more adaptive living environment.
With so many different ideas out there, the key is to remember that it is your home, where you spend most of your time, so your home décor needs to reflect you. So whether you’re renovating your entire house, adding a splash of colour to freshen up the kitchen or looking for inspiration for your new home office, we’ve picked five homes with truly wonderful interiors:
The Old Bakery House has recently been the subject of a comprehensive refurbishment programme and is beautifully appointed and styled. It has allowed the original features to come to the fore and the juxtaposition between old and new has been done with sympathy and taste.
Chesil Court, Chelsea Manor Street, London
Chesil Court has recently been subject to an incredibly thorough and sympathetic refurbishment, where possible, retaining many of the original features such as the iron bath and marble surround, radiators, fireplace and Chesil Court clock.
Glenhurst, Pleasant Harbour, Bewdley
With generous dimensions and high ceilings, the accommodation at Glenhurst has natural light running throughout and presents modern amenities such as the excellent open plan kitchen/breakfast room with bespoke, handmade units, marble worktops and three oven Aga with two oven electric module and gas hob.
This outstanding west-facing apartment has been presented to a very high specification for the current owner by the world renowned interior designer and architect Viktor Udzenija. The result is a luxurious combination of grand period features and stunning contemporary design.
Court A Pella, Newton St. Margarets, Hereford
Court A Pella is a simply stunning property which has been sensitively modernised and extended by the current owners to provide beautifully light, spacious accommodation throughout. The overall finish is a perfect marriage of character detailing, desirable colour tones, clever design ideas and modern amenities such as underfloor heating and double glazing throughout.
