Pia Design have transformed the interiors of a family home into a cohesive, contemporary and classic space with bespoke finishes throughout.
Pia Design were appointed to transform the interiors of a terraced Victorian Townhouse in Clapham Common for two busy London professionals and their two children. The family of four had already been living in the original property, named Elm House, for three years before undergoing a refurbishment and extension.
Working with architectural practice Armstrong Symmonds, Pia Design helped with the interior design and coordination of the project. “We were appointed quite early on, once the client’s architect had created and submitted drawings for the planning application, and planning was granted,” says Pia Pelkonen, Creative Director and Founder of Pia Designs. “We started by having lengthy discussions with our clients about the wishes for their new home – not just how they would like it to look and feel, but the practical requirements they wanted to achieve to make their home work for practical family life.”
The colour palette ranges from moody blues in the front room and their main bedroom suite, to warm rusty reds in the open plan living space at the rear of the property. The kitchen was custom designed by Pia Design in painted wood veneer with brass finger plates, and a custom splashback made from brass sheets and fluted glass.
Their bedroom suite is beautifully wallpapered (walls and ceiling) in a textured silk wallpaper. Their en-suite has a double vanity unit, pencil feature wall tiles and polished plaster. My favourite aspect of the bathroom is the Tubes leaning ladder rail, which is also a heated towel rail.
“Our clients were not big fans of patterned wallpaper but liked the idea of some textured wallpaper and moody, classic colours with injections of colour here and there,” explains Pelkonen. “So a lot of our choices were led by an interest In creating texture and depth – for example, we used a silk effect wallpaper in their main bedroom on the walls as well as the ceiling to create a cosy, cocooning warmth. For the kitchen units and wardrobes we also created a custom blue wood stain so we could paint them blue but still keep the wood grain visible.”
The study/guest bedroom and bathroom on the top floor turned into a lovely feature space too, with a large panoramic window overlooking South London. We designed a screen which doubles as storage, to separate the study space from the bedroom space. The guest bathroom was built under a sloping ceiling so we added punchy geometric tiles for interest.
“We work on the spatial layout of a house first and foremost to see how we can maximise storage and keep the flow of the space. Any spacial challenges arising we will research ideas, often on Pinterest or Instagram, to come up with clever ways to resolve them,” Pelkonen says.
“In Elm House one of the biggest spatial challenges was that the kitchen/dining space was quite narrow and our clients really wanted a kitchen island. We designed the island to be as narrow as practically possible and placed the dining table with a built in bench seat against the wall to save space and retain circulation space. The bench seating ran the length of the kitchen/living space and towards the living room side converted into a media unit. The entire length of the bench contained concealed drawer or lift-up lid storage. We also designed a ‘secret’ pantry, accessed via a door disguised to look like a kitchen cupboard door.”
The front reception room is a stunning space, which features custom built in joinery and a bar; as well as a new fireplace surround that the studio designed in Nero Marquina marble with a fluted marble back.
“It’s hard to pick a favourite room as this house in particular has such a cohesive feel and there are little feature elements I love from every space,” adds Pelkonen. “I really like the two-tone wallpaper/paint and panelling effect in the downstairs cloak room, complemented by a brick red Kast concrete basin. I also really love the bespoke black marble fireplace surround we designed for the formal reception room with fluted wooden joinery either side. One of the most special features, however, is the custom splashback in the kitchen, which was created using brass sheets and fluted glass.”
Elm House is a beautiful case study in how to create a harmonious blend of contemporary and classic styles. Pia Design have thoughtfully utilised paint and paper to add depth and texture to the home, and created bespoke designs throughout for a unique and seamless finish.
