CONCEPT FOR LIVING
INTERIOR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2001
Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire

Describe in detail your room and its design
The restroom is based upon an integration of styles, textures and materials to show how they can work together in harmony to provide an overall effect. The Boisvillion French limestone floor (supplied by Thomas’s of Urmston) has been tiled in a classic style and integrated with broken Venetian antique marble tiles in Nocem, Rosso Palazzo and Crema, which when mixed together creates a mosaic style border. The back wall has been tiled in the same stone with the intention that the lines in the floor run in unison with the lines on the walls. The side walls have been painted in “Orchid” to give a natural effect and for it to be in harmony with the stone and the other furnishings. The ceiling is twin tiered with an apex centre, covered in mini spotlights, in order to open up the room and draw the eye further into the space. The first outer tier is covered with mirrors that have spotlights inserted into them. The columns that are supporting the ceiling are covered with bevelled edged mirrors. The overall effect is to give the impression that the columns and first tier are as one. The Utopic twin basin with Brancussi like twin pedestals, and Oblique single hold mono lever mixer basin taps, provides a cool modern clean lined result, against the individually designed “puddle” effect mirrors to create the illusion that the water is dripping up the wall to form a reflective puddle. The chair is an individually designed heavy hand carved piece, painted in Renaissance gold with Cashmere Ostrich linen. The installation named “Nature” is made of ground Norwegian stone bounded with resin then stained to the desired colour, with enamelled insets. It is a unique piece created by Gary White.

What led you to opt for such a design?
Following through our philosophy on design concepts, the design of the room has been heavily influenced by the belief that it is perfectly feasible to integrate different styles, periods, textures and materials to maximum effect. We wanted to expand a lot of energy into the design of the ceiling as we wish to draw attention to the importance of this part of the room, which is often overlooked and can make the room seem unfurnished. The use of stone instead of ceramic tiles was to appreciate the different textures and pigmentation in each stone and the material seems appropriate for the purpose of the space and looks superb against the basin and pedestal. The puddle effect mirrors seemingly leaking from the basin taps, in conjunction with the parallel tiling of the walls and floor, gives the illusion that the room is on its side. We are always looking for opportunities to explore new ideas and concepts and decided to play with the notion of taking something that was whole and breaking it. In this way we are creating something new and innovative, but at the same time not losing what came before. We have applied these concepts to the design of the border and floor.

Is it viable in your opinion for modern living and life?
Yes.

Why?
The integrative design is contemporary and has a simplicity with its clean lines which are appropriate for the room setting. The materials used are also suitable for the purpose of the room and their tactility is further enhanced by the use of stone and other contrasting furnishings.

Describe the work involved and any problems that you may have encountered.
After the construction of the walls in MDF, the intricate ceiling was constructed like a jigsaw and erected on sight to save time. The pillars were also constructed in our workshop and clad with the mirrors on site because their complexity took a while to complete. The “puddle” mirrors were designed by ourselves and were commissioned to be made for us. The furnishings of the room have been loaned to us by the retrospective suppliers (to keep the cost down) and allowed us to concentrate our resources into the construction of the room.