Split personality property


The division of formal entertaining areas and family rooms means this new-build property in Roehampton offers the best of both worlds.


Words by Kay Hill

When the super-rich are looking for a new home there’s sometimes a conflict of interest – do they want formal elegance to entertain friends and business associates?

Or do they need a relaxing environment to shut out the pressures of high-stress living and relax with the family? Blanca Sanchez is director of Halo Design Interiors, which was brought in by developer Signature Prime Property to work on the interiors of Park House, in Roedean Crescent, Roehampton. Her solution was to divide the downstairs into two distinct sections, including a massive open-plan family space that opens directly on to the rear garden.

The whole of the back wall opens up to the garden
The whole of the back wall opens up to the garden

‘The architect already had the idea of opening up the back,’ says Sanchez, ‘but had put a wall between the kitchen and the living zone. Our idea was to open that up and create the formal reception area at the front of the house and this super-room at the back for cooking, eating and dining.’

The TV and gas fire are inset into a feature wall with a sparkling mica wallpaper to form a focal point
The TV and gas fire are inset into a feature wall with a sparkling mica wallpaper to form a focal point

At one end of the space, which has folding doors all the way along so it can be opened up on the garden, is a modern kitchen by David Linley, beautifully made with walnut-lined carcasses and equipped with the latest Miele appliances. At the other end is a feature wall coated in a textured mica wallpaper from Brian Yates. ‘We saw the potential to make that wall a focal point,’ says Sanchez, ‘so we put the television in it, giving a balance to the room.

The ceiling coffer, feature wall and fireplace link the formal drawing room with the matching dining room
The ceiling coffer, feature wall and fireplace link the formal drawing room with the matching dining room

People also like the focal point of a fire – but a real fire is so impractical these days, so we installed a Bellfire Horizon glass-fronted balanced-flue gas fire. It looks incredibly inviting and is remote-controlled.’

Sanchez also uses feature walls to great effect in the formal dining room and reception room at the front of the house. ‘The antique-mirrored-wall finish is the same in both the dining and drawing rooms, as are the lit coffers on the ceiling,’ she says. ‘The doors and fireplaces also mirror each other giving a real symmetry to the spaces, deliberately making them almost feel like one room.’

An egg-shaped bath from BC Designs has a sculptural simplicity in one of the master bathrooms, along with a feature wall of natural slate
An egg-shaped bath from BC Designs has a sculptural simplicity in one of the master bathrooms, along with a feature wall of natural slate

Sanchez’s brief was to create interiors that would appeal to international clients and their families. ‘Hotel design is a great influence these days,’ she says. ‘Clients who travel the world often come back with images of where they’ve stayed and what they have liked.

‘There is a lot of similarity between top-end hotel design and high-end residential, as it’s essentially the same clients who are staying in these suites while they’re travelling and then asking for a similar look and feel for their own homes.’

The top floor is a versatile space that could be a teenager’s room, media room, office, gym or au pair’s suite
The top floor is a versatile space that could be a teenager’s room, media room, office, gym or au pair’s suite

Clients used to five-star living expect bathrooms to be magnificent, and Sanchez believes Park House won’t disappoint: ‘We wanted to create maximum impact in the master bathroom and had the space to use a freestanding bath, which is like a piece of sculpture, along with a feature wall made from slate with copper metallic tones that is both contemporary looking and created from a natural stone. Everything else in the room is architecturally quite pure.’

One of the difficulties of working on a developer’s property is that Sanchez had to work on the interiors without knowing who would ultimately buy the £6.4m six-bedroom home. As a result, the rented furniture is meant to act as inspiration rather than dictating the way the home will ultimately be used. This is especially true in the massive third-floor rooms. ‘People use these top floors for so many purposes,’ says Sanchez. ‘It could end up as an older child’s haven, an au pair’s zone, a media room, gym or home office, so we needed it to have maximum flexibility.’








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