All posts tagged: remote design

How to add personality to a new build

Published by Karen Knox

Hello everyone, it’s been photoshoot central of late so i’m back with my second post of the month. It’s another final reveal post, plus I’m sharing some tips on how to add personality to a new build property. The homeowners, a young couple were keen to put their stamp on their new four bedroom home so contacted me to help them with the ground floor. We worked together remotely during lockdown Mk1, me finally visiting for the first time in summer 2020 once the project was underway. Before I’ve written before about how new builds are some of the hardest properties to re-design as there can be very little to be inspired by. There are no fireplaces, chimney breasts, no alcoves or nooks and crannies to build shelving into, no high ceilings or period features such as cornice, dado and picture rails. The rooms in a new build are often purely functional, rectangular rooms which have been kitted out in low-mid range fixtures and fittings. One of the reasons people opt for new builds is …

Remote working, it can be done – Remote Design in Action

Published by Karen Knox

So with all that’s going on in the world right now, I am sure I am not the only small business that is feeling the strain. I posted something on Facebook last weekend about how working remotely is going to be the saviour of a lot of small businesses. In particular the service industry like mine. If we’re all sat at home, staring at our four walls, wishing we had time to finally tackle that wallpaper stripping, bathroom remodel, gallery wall, playroom, kitchen reconfiguration (delete as appropriate), then THIS is a really good time to consider remote design. Our homes are a place to nurture, a place of safety and comfort, so there’s no better time to throw your energies into something creative and productive. And if you need some input, then there are lots of businesses like mine that can help. As an example of how it can work, I wanted to share a project I have been working on remotely for the last few months. A couple, let’s call them Mr&Mrs S, recently bought a …

The Vine Bleu Room – A Remote Design Project

Published by Karen Knox

Today is a special post for me. I’m sharing some before and afters of a remote design project I worked on at the end of 2018. The homeowners had moved into a new family home, but not your average property, their new pad formed part of a Grade 2 listed Arts & Crafts mansion, designed by the architect George Morley Eaton, a follower of Sir Edwin Lutyens. As you would expect, architecturally, it’s stunning. However, one room in particular left them feeling somewhat overwhelmed; The Drawing Room. Estate Agent Photo Here’s how the room looked when it was sold. As you can see, it’s a huge at over 5m by 7m. With rooms like this, you don’t need to work too hard to make it look amazing. But what you do need to do is know how to use Scale and Proportion. You can’t put an average sized sofa, rug or ceiling light into a room like this, you’ve got to supersize everything so it matches up to that fireplace, the beams, those door frames…. …

Thinking of converting your integral garage?

Published by Karen Knox

Happy New Year everyone! Did you have a lovely festive break? I hope so. Have you taken your decorations down yet? Are you looking around the place desperately wishing you had more room? I know I am. But as buying and selling is becoming more and more costly, not to mention slightly impossible given the current climate (**coughs – Brexit**) more of us than ever are extending, expanding and increasing the square footage of our existing homes. A lot of us already have the space we need, we just don’t use it too wisely. Cue the introduction of a recent remote project i’ve been working on: A familiar sight if ever I saw one. The integral garage. The garage with the car parked outside on the drive. Who actually parks their car in garages anymore? Nobody. Apart from my father in law who swears his car will rust and explode if it’s left outside in the mizzle. Anyway – i’m sure the next picture is what a lot of you are more used to seeing in …

Munich Project After Farrow & Ball Downpipe

When remote design works… And why…

Published by Karen Knox

I wrote a post last year about the pros and cons of E-Design; what remote interior design actually was, how it works, who it’s right for, because it’s certainly not for everyone. Today I wanted to show you some images from three remote projects i’ve worked on over the past year… and talk about why they turned out as well as they did. The London Flat The is the newly acquired apartment of a young, recently married couple. A couple who couldn’t quite decide on how to put their stamp on their new home. Having differing tastes and a limited budget to completely re-do a living space, dining area and kitchen, this blank canvas left them feeling a little stuck. So we started with a two hour remote consultation, which is how all of my projects, either remote or physical begin. A two hour remote consultation works like this: First hour – I go through photos, floorplans, and Pinterest boards you’ve collated, and of course your brief. You have to gather and supply all of this …

The Mood Board. One Room, Two Ways

Published by Karen Knox

I’ve been working remotely with a client for a while now. She’s completely overhauling several rooms of her home but needed to sort some pretty boring stuff first, like running a new damp proof course and plasterwork. Which is now all done. Phew! Back room now damp proofed and re-plastered The front room, which is the secondary living space in this 1930’s three bed semi has finally been stripped of its years of textured wallpaper. The unwanted pieces of furniture have been eBayed and the room is sitting empty, barring the white painted floorboards, a 1950’s school desk and a black upright piano (which may or may not stay.) It’s literally a blank canvas waiting for its new look. Here’s what the room needs in terms of function: Open and closed storage A focal point. The room has a chimney breast but no fire or fireplace Two seater sofa and an armchair Room for the desk Possibly a space for the piano Room for record player and perhaps TV But how the room looks has been a real …