Finchley Home, North London

Creating a new sense of home after downsizing

Dollis Avenue was a smaller but particularly personal project for a retired couple who had recently downsized from a large Central London home to a North London apartment.

Their move took place just weeks before the pandemic, making an already significant life change feel even more unsettling. The apartment had great bones, but our clients wanted it to feel like their home rather than simply a smaller version of where they had lived before.

We began with the living room, which needed to perform several different functions within one space. The brief was to create a comfortable television and sitting area, a dining space, and a more intimate seating area where our client could enjoy tea and conversation with friends.

Making one room work harder

Rather than filling the room with off-the-shelf furniture, we designed much of it specifically around the clients, the proportions of the apartment and the way they wanted to live.

A bespoke television unit, made by a British joinery company, went through several design stages before we arrived at the right balance of storage, display and proportion. Much of the furniture was also made to our specifications, allowing us to create distinct areas within the room without making it feel crowded.

Colour and texture were particularly important. We spent considerable time finding exactly the right burnt orange for a bespoke bench, introducing warmth and personality into the scheme.

Throughout the space, we layered different materials to create depth: timber, marble, linen and tactile upholstery sit alongside one another, giving the interior warmth throughout the year.

A bespoke rug with a marble-inspired design connects beautifully with custom side tables combining timber and marble, while handmade console tables from Greece introduce another layer of craftsmanship.

Linen wallpaper was used across the hallway and incorporated into the television joinery, creating a visual connection between the entrance and living space and helping the apartment feel more cohesive.

A home that feels personal again

The finished room provides everything our clients asked for: somewhere to dine, somewhere to relax together and a more intimate corner for conversation, all within one elegant and comfortable space.

Although Dollis Avenue was a relatively small project, it demonstrates how thoughtful interior design can make a significant difference during a change in the way someone lives. Downsizing didn’t mean compromising on character, comfort or the things that mattered to our clients.

This became a particularly special project for us. Our relationship continued long after the design was completed, and being invited back for afternoon tea and seeing the space being lived in and enjoyed remains one of the loveliest outcomes of the project.