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Cover Feature
“THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IS INCORPORATED SO DISCREETLY AS TO BE ALMOST INVISIBLE”
The kitchen itself is a fully bespoke design, made to order by Poliform and utilising Miele appliances throughout. On the first floor comes a change
of atmosphere. After the sultry night club glamour of the ground floor comes a contemporary open space. There are children’s bedrooms in the back and front of the house, but all the other rooms were knocked into one generous living space. Low ceilings were stripped to make a feature of the raking roof and most of the beams and posts.
Collins compares the new children’s
bathrooms to a jewellery box being dropped at each end of the space. She has given them long narrow roof light fittings which add natural light. The roof space has been turned into two tiny guest bedrooms dramatised by adding dormer windows. Twin staircases lead from the ultra rich
ground floor to the bright first floor, whilst above the staircases, three metre long roof lights were installed which add drama and can be operated by touch panels. The latest technology is naturally de
rigueur, but incorporated so discreetly as to be almost invisible: underfloor heating;
a plethora of light settings; music and television as required; and electrically controlled window blinds. A key part of the work on this house was the addition of a pool building. The concept was contemporary so as to clearly separate it from the architecture of the house. However, to provide a relationship with the house, form and materials used on the house were interpreted in a contemporary manner. The house bay windows are translated into a huge projecting glazed enclosure facing onto the garden and modern insulated through colour render finish to the structure. To maintain the identity of both buildings, the link between the two is a full glazed frameless structure. Internally, the contemporary design
approach has been followed by utilising a small palette of materials but just a single colour - white, including white snake skin flooring to the pool perimeter, and white mosaics to the spa and pool interior. Collins explains: “The walls are finished in horizontal bands white polished and travertine finish plaster, then with a subtle reference to the house, the shower room and plant room appears as if dropped into
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