We purchased a Georgian townhouse in Bath which had been converted into two flats, just as the UK went into the first lockdown. We exchanged contracts in early March 2020 and a few weeks later, the world closed down. I remember wondering if it had been the right thing to do – renovating in lockdown felt quite overwhelming – seeing as we weren’t even allowed to drive and collect the keys on completion day.
It turned out to be a the perfect distraction. Having such a beautiful house to work on over those months kept us sane. We converted it back into a townhouse again, moved the kitchen to the front of the property on the ground floor and fully renovated the entire property. Even with all the planning delays, we managed to finish it in time to move in by November 2021.
The end result was such a product of the strange life we were all living back then. I wanted a calm sanctuary and chose lots of soft colours throughout (except for in the pink cinema room!). My work tends to be based on calm colour palettes, with the furniture, artwork and lighting adding some fun character to each space. I love nature and it’s always central to my designs; in this house I used lots of natural stone and marbles, as well as tactile wooden flooring and soft natural textures in the carpets and upholstery.