GREAT RENOVATIONS
Magnificent projects from top designers with plenty of inspiration and ideas for your schemes
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THIS is the entrance to our house in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill. It’s the eighth house that my husband [music DJ Victor Calderone] and I have bought and renovated. When we bought it in 2015, the house had been divided into several apartments and was in need of some love. The project took three years to complete and we now think of it as our forever home.
Working with the architect Elizabeth Roberts, we removed the wall between the staircase and the living room to maximise the feeling of space. This is the parlour floor, which has an open-plan living room with a dining room and kitchen.
I’VE BALANCED warm woods with blush pinks against a polarising monochrome backdrop. The contrast of white walls with a black-painted arched doorway engages the eye.
Athena Calderone is a New York-based interior designer. She recently published her second book, Live Beautiful (£30, Abrams). athenacalderone.com
Wevet, £47.95 for 2.5ltr;
Off-black, £71 for 2.5ltr, both Farrow & Ball. Artwork, Sam Messenger. Flooring, RESAWN Timber Co. Rug, vintage, Soufiane Zarib. Burlwood table, vintage, Holler & Squall
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THIS KITCHEN sits in an 1830s townhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village. The space was formerly a carriage house and had previously been converted into a studio apartment but by the time we bought it, it was in a state of terrible disrepair. Our plan involved correcting the structural issues, adding a basement level, incorporating the carriage house and turning the property once more into a family home.
People can be scared with a double-height space, but I advise anyone to revel in it. Here, 12-foot tall skylights look up into mature trees and the sky. For that reason, I chose the wallpaper to iterate the clouds seen through the skylights.
ENSURE THAT you plan for task lighting that lights up your workspaces. For the island, we did this by hanging pendant lights. Elsewhere we had under-counter lighting and cabinetry lighting put in.
Rebekah Caudwell is a British interior designer with an eye for bold, colour-led design. rebekahcaudwelldesign.com →
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1. 2. The room was designed to be an immersive experience with the walls, cabinetry, sofa and rug all in tones of teal and aquamarine; the result is incredibly impactful.
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THE OWNERS’ Persian heritage influenced the rich colour combinations in this Hertfordshire house. Built in the 1980s, it was in need of some improvements when my clients bought it two years ago. I made some small alterations to the layout, which included moving the entrance to this snug so that it leads off the kitchen.
WHEN WORKING with one tone, it’s important to introduce layers of other textures to create movement and avoid the space from looking too solid. Here, I fell for the woven raffia wallpaper, which contrasts perfectly with the shimmering soft velvet on the sofa. Cushions in a bouclé fabric add further textural interest.
Interior designer Melissa Bolivar is the founder of House of Sui Sui, a design and furniture studio based in London. houseofsuisui.com
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1. 2. The bar was my own design and has a slight 1970s twist. The bottom half is made of fumed eucalyptus and the top has glass shelves with brass trims backed by antique mirror.
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THIS SPACE is in the basement of a house in Notting Hill. It has no windows so the decorative approach from the start was to work on the atmosphere, making the room wonderfully dark and moody. Fundamental to its success was getting the lighting scheme spot on. Here, a big source of light is from the bar that glows at night – it makes everyone in the room look wonderful.
WE WANTED the room to be dual-purpose. The owners can sit 14 people down to dinner and, after that’s finished, the table can be split into three and lowered to cocktail level using a hydraulic system, leaving room for dancing.
Peter Mikic is an Australianborn interior designer. He began a fashion career in London before making the move to interiors in 2006. petermikic.com →
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