Case Studies | Amy Nicholas Interior Design

Montford Hall

Kitchen

A beautiful period property that could be described as an Interior Designers dream.  High ceilings, detailed coving and architraves, foot high skirting’s and windows with perfect Georgian proportions.  The internal architecture lent itself perfectly to a dramatic and bold colour scheme.

For the kitchen we were given a blank canvas apart from the green range cooker which was to stay.  We used this green as our starting point and combined it with a contemporary dark aubergine to dramatic effect.

The handmade kitchen was re painted in a leafy green that toned well with the base cloth of the blind fabric and also the stove.  We made a dramatic feature of the rear wall using a dark aubergine textured wall paper by Zoffany and then the remaining walls were painted a classic `pebble’ colour.  The plaster work was highlighted in a light shade of `Lily’ but we used the darker pebble to accentuate the recesses.

For the huge windows we had Roman blinds tailored from an archive cloth again by Zoffany.  The rich weave, depicting a bird of paradise, looked sensational and tied all the elements together.  We further dressed these windows with upholstered pelmets in dark aubergine linen and a pair of heavily interlined dress curtains. The pelmets, blinds and leading edges of the curtains were all trimmed in matching aubergine velvet which finished them off beautifully.

For the snug area of the kitchen two new sofas were commissioned from Zoffany, one to co-ordinate with the pebble and one in the aubergine linen but piped in the velvet with a selection of scatters in all fabrics.  We had a bespoke ottoman made in another Zimmer and Rohde fabric `Chess’ to finish off this practical and stylish corner.

To further complement the scheme Amy commissioned a local Artist to create a striking oil painting to co-ordinate with our colour scheme.  A large gilt mirror and three chandeliers from bella figura finished the scheme.

Conservatory

The large wooden conservatory required some structural repairs before our decorators could set to work painstakingly breathing new life into this tired space.  The `Pebble’ was carried through as a base colour and we again created a bold feature wall in aubergine, but this time used paint as we were concerned paper may fade.   Another archive print from Zoffany, reminiscent of the chinoiserie period, was used to create a flat wall hanging.   This was balanced with a matching double sided curtain that co-ordinated with the wall hanging from the conservatory side and with the aubergine linen from the kitchen.  Matching gilt poles hung along one vertical plain further cohered the design.

More Sofas and occasional chairs were made and re-upholstered by our craftsmen and a set of striking dining chairs in a bold velvet stripe took centre stage around a large oak drum table. 

The colours flowed through from the kitchen but with enough variety to demark this space as separate and give it personality of its own.

Hallway

The hallway posed more of a challenge from a design perspective.  We were faced with a huge expanse of wall, but the client didn’t want to remove the original lincrusta paper for fear of having to re-plaster the whole area.   This limited us to having to simply repaint the main wall area.  We carried the pebble through to create a homogenous feel and a more muted shade of grape was used for the dado.  We added a subtle but interesting metallic effect paper to the ceiling.  The client was conscious that she didn’t want to darken the space so we removed the old patterned carpet and replaced it with a solid oak floor.  This instantly made the space feel updated and gave it that contemporary edge whilst remaining sympathetic to the heritage of the property.   We wanted to furnish this space so that it was more than a mere passageway, but also a comfortable, warm and inviting space in its own right.   The client’s antique chaise was given new attitude with a zingy zig zag fabric and drapes were made for the vestibule windows.   The fabric chosen was another Zoffany revival but one that complemented the colour scheme of the kitchen and conservatory but also pulled out the colours from the stained glass in the entrance way and landing windows.

An interesting architectural feature here is the deep plaster work that surrounds the entrance to the inner hallway. We wanted to make a feature of this portico so decided to make a drape to hang behind it, creating a frame and allowing the plaster work to stand off proudly.  This was double sided so as to look attractive from front and back and edged in the most amazing ruby silk and glass beads and finished with handmade tassels from France; truly stunning.   We repeated the same effect for the upstairs portico and made a Roman blind for the full height landing window.  This took some nerve to measure and to fit I can tell you.  Dress drapes and a bespoke large shaped pelmet finished the dressing of this challenging window.   All that was needed now was a new carpet and to get the decorators to remove the French polish from the balustrade to create a more contemporary look to match the oak flooring.   Three antique crystal chandeliers were sourced and we ordered a footstool and easy chair in the same zigzag as the chaise to furnish the upstairs landing.