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Space is at a premium in London houses, so it’s important to explore every possible square metre. We asked four interiors experts to talk us through their recent projects and reveal their joinery secrets
“Under the stairs is a great space to utilise,” explains Melissa Hutley of Hutley & Humm. “We would most often install an understair loo and go bold with the colours within, such as wallpaper from floor-to-ceiling, cocooning the space. Another popular option is storage, but given the slightly awkward shape, a loo is probably the most common way to use the space.” However, Melissa and her client decided to do something really fun in a recent project: “The main brief was for the open-plan space to be a place in which they could entertain easily, but as the property is a small fisherman’s cottage we were really limited on space. When looking at the layout, the unused space under the stairs became this extra ‘pocket’ that we could use for something unusual and stand-out rather than a simple storage cupboard.”
The real wow factor comes from the boldness of the yellow and design aesthetics in this bar. Melissa really wanted it to stand out as its own piece and not blend in with the green tones which were used throughout the living space, dining and kitchen. “It’s such an unexpected colour pop and paired with the beautiful marble worktop, it fuses perfectly together,” says Melissa. “It’s often tough to convince clients to use marble in kitchens and bars, as it is a natural stone which marks and tarnishes. Still, we always try to push it forward as we see it as a beautiful passage of time in your home and a showcase of something that is thoroughly loved and used, as a home should be. The antique mirror brings beautiful light and space to the otherwise very small area, and an articulated wall light was specifically chosen as it brings atmospheric light in the evening. Less is definitely more here, so the number of spirits on display should be minimal, using the storage underneath for the rest. For glassware, only store what you really use on the shelves.”
Designing a bar under the stairs isn’t without its compromises. You are limited by the depth of the reveal because it’s a narrower space, so you will struggle to include a fridge. “We were lucky as the steps have an average depth of at least 60cm meaning we could add one,” Melissa explains. “Obviously, you are also restricted on shelves as you have the sloping underside of the stairs, so you must be quite practical. For extra storage, we included pull-out drawers, which had a great amount of depth to them, allowing additional glassware and spirits to be stored there.”
With a Victorian terraced or semi-detached house being the most common property in south-west London, the conundrum of the double reception room is faced by many homeowners. If they have been opened up, a clever way to unite these two spaces (and more importantly get maximum use out of the back half, which can end up as a corridor to the kitchen) is to create seamless flow through joinery. “Space is at a premium in many London homes, including the Nappy Valley area. In this example, the space that connects the two areas together was joined using stylish shelving and storage. It is a clever way of killing two birds with one stone as well as keeping a small space from feeling cluttered,” advises Helen Wood of The Simply Construction Group.
Joinery is one of the easiest ways to bring a bespoke element into your home – every family has different needs and as this is a hard-working space, often with multiple family members using it, it makes sense to invest. Helen advises: “Building clever, bespoke shelving and cupboards in awkward spaces is the best way to use a skilled joiner as they will be able to custom-make furniture to fit certain sizes, which you may not find off-the-shelf. We would recommend thinking about who is going to be using the space. Will it be family and small children, or will the space be used as an office or workspace? This will dictate what materials, furniture and fittings you install.”
In Helen’s experience, using different materials and textures to clad surfaces always adds interest and a feeling of luxury, and unexpected colours and fittings help to break up the space and draw the eye in. But a word of advice if you’re renovating – don’t leave this until the last minute. “It’s always important to plan ahead, ideally before the construction begins. If you are able to decide on the look and feel you would like with lighting, the electrician can run the cables and chase them into the walls before the shelves or any bespoke joinery are installed.”
Viki Lander of Ensoul knows how to make storage work hard and this dressing room and bedroom in Balham delivers on practicality and style. For a dressing room, it pays to be granular when thinking about what you need to store. “From the outset, we work out the linear metres for long hanging, short hanging, shelving/drawers, shoe and boot racks or shelves/drawers and bag storage. This means measuring the lengths of current wardrobes and storage. And we ask clients, space permitting, whether they would like a dressing table, hair-drying station, jewellery storage and seating.”
Deciding what kind of storage you want is the next step – is it fast access and open, with no door, or should everything be hidden behind solid doors? “This usually depends on whether the dressing room is tucked away with its own door that can be closed, out of sight, or if it is part of an open-plan bedroom area,” explains Viki. “Going full height, floor-to-ceiling, will eek out every centimetre of space, and you can add a step or ladder to reach if required.
Seating is a lovely thing to incorporate, especially for putting on shoes and to drape clothes, and mirrors are very important too, always ensuring good lighting. “Lighting is really important,” adds Viki. “Space permitting and dependent on your design, chandeliers and pendants add interest and elegance, but you do need great task lighting for nighttime and gloomy days, even with great natural light. And for those without natural light, fit lightbulbs that are over 3000 Kelvin so that you are getting whiter/natural light rather than soft yellow.”
Once you’ve dealt with the practical considerations, you can have some fun with the finishes. “For warmth and luxury nothing beats wood, mixed with some leather seating,” Viki says. “Having said that, we’ve created some really fun and interesting effects with wallpaper-wrapped doors. We’ve maximised light and created the illusion of bigger rooms with the use of mirrored doors, and we’ve broken up dressing rooms with a mix of finishes. I always think they look more interesting when you can see the clothes behind glass or in open dressing rooms with no doors. In bedrooms, there is a move away from carpet to timber flooring but there are still clients who like the feel of carpet or rugs under their feet in a dressing room.”
Whether you’ve got a big basement space to play with or a small box room to convert, joinery is a practical solution in rooms where entertainment and play combine. A well-designed media unit that can also house toys and games is a must, and Claire Burrage of Clara Bee, has designed her fair share. “You need to start with a tight brief and plan the space required for housing the elements to be incorporated within the carpentry. Once this has been decided, the style and design of the cabinetry can be defined.”
It’s likely the unit will be sizeable, so balancing the furniture and elements within the room is important. “The media unit or playroom carpentry should ideally blend in rather than stick out,” Claire explains. “Again, the unit needs to be balanced within the space, using a combination of open shelving as well as closable door fronts.” Adding a decorative element can also soften the impact: “often using a wallpaper or a different paint colour at the back of the shelves looks great.”
The big eyesore in a media room is the TV – that black rectangle that nobody enjoys seeing when not in use. “There are several ways to disguise the TV within the unit,” suggests Claire. “Using one or two sliding pieces of wood (panelled or slatted) to cover the front of the screen when not in use works well. The TV can also be disguised as a picture if using a Samsung framed TV, for example.”
And what about the most important element – toys! “For toy storage within a playroom, we advise these be kept in a transparent container on casters in a low-level cupboard within the unit. This enables the child to play independently as they can access their toys with ease. When not in use, the containers can be hidden behind cabinet doors within the unit.” But children grow and your joinery needs to be future-proof. “For media or playrooms where the purpose is likely to change in time, we would advise the design is planned around easy adaptation for the future,” says Claire. “For example, a playroom cabinet can be adapted into a filing cabinet if the base units are made with that flexibility from the start.”
