Case Study: Putney Project - Bespoke Living AIC

At Bespoke Living AIC, our fundamental ethos embodies the idea that every home should be well-designed and function to suit the individual needs of our clients. That means every element is considered and meticulously planned to compliment the lifestyle our clients want to lead.

To achieve this goal, we’ve developed a thorough and refined design process which delivers beautifully tailored homes. In this blog we will be sharing how we approached this recent project in Putney, London, and explain how our creative process exceeded the needs and expectations of our clients, resulting in a stunning home design that caters to their personal lifestyle requirements.

1. Consultation & Live Design Session

The process started with our Consultation & Live Design Session, where we visited our clients at their property, get to know them and understand their space and what they are hoping to achieve.

After living abroad for many years our clients and their family have decided to relocate from Hong Kong. Having found and purchased a beautiful property in West London, they are now looking to implement some changes so that it works for them and their busy family. Currently the property is spread over 5 floors and has had various extensions added over the years, including a 3-story annexe attached to the side of the property.

We discussed their current issues with the space and developed a brief outlining the key areas they would like to focus on:

1. Lower Ground floor (to accommodate a large open plan kitchen / dining / living space for the entire family to enjoy)

2. 3 Story Annex to the side of property (how can this be integrated into the original building? – Less circulation space needed)

3. Second & Third Floor (more accommodation in the roof)

4. The quality of light in all the spaces outlined above can improve significantly and this is high on the client’s priority list

2. Conceptual Design – 2 Options

During this stage, the team sat down in our studio and explored the various opportunities for our clients, considering each aspect of their lifestyle and how the new extension would marry with the existing building, keeping in mind our client’s want for a large open plan, kitchen / dining / living space and introducing lots of natural light. The team came up with 2 options; both options include a large extension to the rear of the property to create an open plan room. We also explored the idea of installing a window seat to the bay window in the formal living room above this space, in order to increase the ceiling height within the extension.

We altered the layout of the annexe by completely removing the second staircase, creating a large utility/boot and tack room to house our client’s outdoor gear. We also added a study, laundry room and large cloakroom to the upper ground floor and large guest suite to the first floor with feature vaulted ceiling.

Option 1 includes all of the details mentioned above, meeting the needs of our clients and delivering a well rounded scheme that will drastically improve their lifestyle at the property.

With Option 2, we wanted to push the boundaries and explore an option that would create a real wow factor within our client’s home. Option 2 also includes all of the details mentioned above, but we push the extension even further and included a stunning, 2 story glass atrium to the living space, creating a contemporary indoor courtyard that could be filled with plants and improve the air quality and circulation within our client’s home. (See sketch above drawn by our Associate, Tom).

At this stage we also start to consider materiality and pull together some precedent images to help form the design aesthetic. We find this helps our client to visualise how their property could look and gives a clear indication of the quality and finish we are proposing, forming a distinctive design language. We’ve included some of these precedent images above.

3. Design Drawings & 3D Model

Once we’ve sketched out some concepts, we then develop these into design drawings and a 3D model to ensure our ideas translate into reality. For this project we fully developed the 2 concepts to give our clients plenty of choice.

Option 1

In this option we’ve extended to the rear of the property and included 2 sets of glazing which open out onto the large garden. We’ve added a window seat to the bay window above in order to raise the ceiling in the extension, as well as creating a box window in the annexe which makes a great feature of the study. We’ve also played with the materiality; cladding the extension in a dark timber, and opting for zinc cladding on the rear extension and box window for contrast.

Option 2

Option 2 really pushes the boat out and boasts an impressive double height atrium and internal courtyard, creating a real wow factor for this stunning period home. Opting for sleek, minimal glazing and chamfered zinc cladding to the rear extension and glazing to the Upper Ground Floor creates a refined, contemporary scheme.

4. Presentation & Design Direction

We presented both options to our client’s, explaining the elements of each scheme and how they would benefit our client’s lifestyle at the property. Our clients were only expecting Option 1 and were delighted that we have explored both options. During the presentation we discussed the benefits of Option 1 & 2 and decided to proceed with a design that included elements from both schemes to achieve the best result for their family and deliver the lifestyle they want to lead.