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Berkshire Project

Our clients live in the heart of leafy Berkshire, within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead — a truly picturesque part of the country, known for its elegant homes, rich heritage, and green, expansive surroundings. Having lived in their beautiful property for eight years, they felt it was time to refresh and elevate key areas of the home to better reflect their current tastes and lifestyle.

The brief focused on five principal spaces: the master suite, the sitting room, the garden-facing sun room, and two bathrooms. While the home had strong bones and generous proportions, several rooms no longer felt cohesive or inspiring. The clients were keen to create a more polished, restful and contemporary aesthetic that honoured the home’s character, while bringing in comfort, texture and subtle sophistication.

They sought a calm, elegant palette with thoughtfully layered materials, quality finishes, and a touch of modern warmth — spaces that felt considered and timeless. The direction was also shaped by their desire for better flow between rooms, a more comfortable master suite as well as a connection to the mature garden views, particularly in the sun room and master bedroom.

Our aim from the outset was to create a series of rooms that felt individually tailored, but collectively harmonious — quiet luxury, well-executed design, and a clear sense of home.

A well-planned layout is the foundation of a successful interior, and for this project, space planning was key — particularly in the master suite, where generous proportions offered exciting potential but required careful consideration to function seamlessly.

Using CAD and drawing up multiple layout options allowed us to visualise the possibilities clearly and share ideas with the client in a tangible way. This was especially valuable when designing the spacious dressing room and its connection to the master bedroom, which we enhanced with a beautifully discreet ‘secret’ door — a playful yet elegant feature that maintains visual flow while providing privacy.

We worked closely with our client to assess their lifestyle and storage needs in detail before translating them into custom joinery drawings. Everything was meticulously considered: from tall hanging for coats and dresses, to long hanging for formalwear, designated space for sportswear, jewellery storage, laundry compartments, and more. The result was not only highly functional, but deeply personal — a dressing space that feels luxurious and calm, while working hard behind the scenes.

Our client approached this project with a clear creative vision, having thoughtfully curated a series of inspiration boards and a wishlist of furniture, finishes, and styling details. It was our role to help translate these ideas into reality — facilitating introductions to suppliers, assessing the suitability of proposed pieces, and offering alternative suggestions where needed to ensure everything aligned with the broader design concept.

One of the key priorities was sourcing high-quality, luxurious rugs for several of the rooms. We introduced the client to Jennifer Manners Design, a leading British rug studio known for its elegant, bespoke pieces and its pioneering Re/Purpose Performance collection — beautiful rugs made from recycled plastic bottles, combining sustainability with sophistication. Jennifer Manners rugs are regularly featured in high-end residential projects and luxury hotels, and their team were instrumental in helping us refine the colour palette and scale for each space.

We also collaborated with Tim Page Carpets, a highly regarded supplier known for their exceptional textures, natural fibres and rich, timeless tones. Their handcrafted pieces offered a beautifully understated elegance that complemented the more decorative elements of the scheme.

For the walls, we created a rich and layered palette of textures and tones. Wallpapers were sourced from Arte and Phillip Jeffries, both of whom offer a vast range of tactile, atmospheric wall coverings — from raffia and linen weaves to metallic grasscloths and painterly prints. These materials helped introduce a sense of depth and intimacy to each room, without overpowering the space.

To add further architectural interest, we used decorative wall panelling from Orac Decor — a lightweight, contemporary solution for adding detail and structure. These mouldings allowed us to create subtle framing and rhythm throughout the rooms, bringing a classical note that echoed the home’s proportions, while remaining modern and crisp in execution.

Ultimately, material selection for this home was about balance: luxury without ostentation, texture without fuss — and most importantly, aligning every choice with the client’s vision, while gently elevating the overall scheme with thoughtful, well-crafted details.

Furniture and Decor: Describe your thought process in selecting stylish and functional pieces that bring the vision to life.

For each of the seven rooms we worked on, our approach was guided first and foremost by attentive listening. Our clients came to us with a strong sense of their tastes and lifestyle needs, and it was our role to help bring that vision to life — shaping it with depth, refinement, and a designer’s eye for scale, proportion, and harmony.

This is no ordinary home. It is beautifully designed, filled with light, and architecturally elegant — the kind of space that could grace the centre pages of an interiors magazine. However, being a newly built house rather than a period property, it lacked some of the natural layering and patina that time brings. Our task was to infuse it with texture, personality, and a sense of collected beauty — enhancing the architecture without overwhelming it.

One example that illustrates this beautifully is our work on sourcing bespoke wall mirrors. The clients had seen something they loved — circular in form, with antiqued glass and a softly metallic frame — and asked us to help locate the right piece. After extensive research, we introduced them to Dominic Schuster, an expert in antiqued mirror finishes and decorative glass. His studio produces handcrafted, historically inspired mirrors that are subtle, elegant, and timeless.

We collaborated with Dominic and his team over several months, supplying CAD elevations and layout drawings to ensure the scale, placement, and frame finish were perfectly in tune with the furniture and artwork already in place. The result was a set of three bespoke mirrors that feel completely tailored to the space — adding depth, reflection, and a soft decorative edge to the room without stealing focus.

To complete the composition, our client added a striking bronze sculpture — Contemplation by British sculptor Dorothy Brook, sourced via Axle Arts. We worked together to have the piece re-poured in a deeper bronze finish, which brought additional richness and contrast to the space. Its organic form and quiet presence perfectly complement the panelled backdrop, creating a moment of calm and character.

Throughout the home, we followed this same ethos: blending form and function, honouring the clients’ wishes, and seeking out thoughtful, well-crafted pieces that would feel as beautiful today as they will in years to come.

Lighting is one of the most powerful tools in interior design — not only for its functionality, but for the mood, rhythm, and character it brings to a space. For this project, we thoroughly enjoyed sourcing distinctive lighting pieces that would complement the architecture, enrich the palette, and bring a sense of warmth and intention to each room.

One of the standout moments came in the master bedroom, where we introduced the Gaia Double Tier Pendant (https://ochre.net/Products/gaia-pendant-double-tier/) by Ochre (https://ochre.net/). Ochre is a renowned British lighting and furniture studio based on Pimlico Road, known for its refined, sculptural pieces and quietly luxurious aesthetic. Their lighting often feels like jewellery for the home — elegant, restrained, and full of quiet drama.

The master bedroom itself is generously proportioned and split into two distinct zones. On one side is the sleeping area, with the bed, bedside tables, and a discreet ‘secret’ door leading into the dressing room. On the other, across from a beautiful fireplace, is a more intimate seating space featuring two deep armchairs, occasional tables, and soft upholstery — a perfect nook for reading or quiet conversation.

This is where we chose to place the Gaia pendant — allowing it to act as a visual anchor for this end of the room, casting a soft, ambient glow over the seating area. Its cascading hand-blown glass drops catch the light beautifully, and the sculptural form adds delicacy and vertical interest to the space.

Once again, our technical drawings and elevations proved invaluable in getting the proportions just right — allowing us to determine the ideal size and suspension height in relation to the ceiling, furniture, and sightlines. The result is a layered, luxurious space that feels both elegant and deeply comfortable.

Throughout the rest of the home, we approached lighting in a similarly considered way — always aiming to layer ambient, task, and accent lighting to suit the needs and mood of each room. Every fitting was selected with care, not just for its form, but for the way it enhanced the life and energy of the space.

 

Bringing a project of this calibre to life relies not only on a strong design vision, but on the skills and dedication of trusted professionals. For this project, we were fortunate to work with a truly exceptional team — none more so than Felicity Interiors, the joinery specialists we selected following a rigorous and detailed tender process.

The joinery requirements for this home were complex and highly bespoke, particularly in the master dressing room. Our design called for cabinetry finished in Italian veneers, with inlaid bronze detailing, softly lined drawers, and a concealed safe for jewellery. These were not standard fittings — they required precision, craftsmanship, and a meticulous eye for detail.

We developed full design drawings at Ixia, which were then carefully translated into technical drawings by Felicity Interiors. From there, we were very much in their capable hands. One of the many strengths of working with their team is the collaborative approach they bring to every stage of the process. We visited their factory together to review finishes and stains, testing options side by side to ensure the exact result we were after.

Their production process is as impressive as it is reassuring: each piece is built and assembled in their factory first, ensuring every join, alignment and finish is 100% perfect, before being dismantled, transported, and reassembled on site with minimal disruption.

Integrated lighting was also carefully considered — not just to illuminate clothing and accessories, but to provide an ambient, inviting glow within the space. The result is a dressing room that feels as refined and luxurious as the finest boutique — tailored entirely to our clients' lifestyle and aesthetic.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Felicity Interiors on this project, and we very much look forward to collaborating with them again.

 

In my client's own words: We had the great pleasure of working with IXIA London on our recent home renovation and I can honestly say it was such a positive experience from start to finish. Kirsty and her extended team not only listened carefully to our vision, but brought it to reality after we had been mulling over ideas for far too long.

Kirsty’s attention to detail, unfaltering energy and open mindset, drove the process forward at a pace that we needed to make it all happen! She can multi-task like the best of them and does an amazing job of shielding the client from all the numerous challenges that comes from procurement and managing trades!

She fully respected and complemented our style preferences and we can’t underestimate how she also managed to balance out aesthetics with practicality within all her recommendations, not an easy combo to find.

What we appreciated most, was her ability to manage the entire project seamlessly. She has a highly effective way of liaising with contractors and suppliers and maintains open communication throughout the process. From quality issues with procured items, to delays with deliveries (always the case!), we can’t think of anyone who can manage that more successfully and with such confidence.

Our home now feels like a true reflection of who we are, but with the carefully thought through aesthetic finesse of IXIA London. We couldn’t recommend Kirsty enough.

Let us craft your vision into reality with bespoke designs that exude luxury and effortless functionality.

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