Thomas Robinson Architects
With this being the luxury edition of Scottish Field, the question ‘What is luxury?’ popped up in the Thomas Robinson office. We were all certain that luxury equates with beautiful design. For us architects, a grand mansion complete with all mod cons will only feel luxurious if all the details are right, from the unassuming curve of a banister or well-executed cut of a stone detail, to a perfectly laid parquet floor.
It is well known that attractive surroundings affect our mood. A Canadian neuroscientist, Colin Ellard, researched the psychological impact of design and found that some environments evoke a sort of visual conviviality that stimulates our brains and makes us happier – so there’s the proof, if it were needed. This pleasing feeling can happen as you slide into the leather driving seat of a luxury car, or enter a building with elegantly balanced proportions. Good architects strive to create this beauty, but it is useful to remember exactly why.
Winston Churchill said, ‘We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.’ Growing up in Blenheim Palace is bound to influence anyone. The ambitious grandeur of John Vanbrugh’s and Nicholas Hawksmoor’s design may well have lead Churchill to believe he could achieve almost anything, as he clearly did.
Our practice is devoted to achieving this effect; a magic that we endeavour to conjure. We don’t necessarily mean the confidence to lead through war, but certainly feelings of optimism, clear-headedness and happiness. We create buildings that are far more than a roof over your head; places that feel good to be in.
Right from the beginning of every project, we seek to make sure the proposed building sits perfectly in its environment, enhancing rather than jarring with its surrounds. And inside, we consider carefully the position of natural light through the day, how the views work, where furniture will sit around a fireplace, and the flow and feel of spaces between rooms. We think about all of it in detail, so that your build – whether it’s a new country home, or an extension to an existing traditional building – will feel exactly right.
In our book, striving for the luxury of great design is part of living the good life and a worthy pursuit, full of the rewards of appreciation and of gratitude. As architects, we seek to create that luxury, imagining ourselves in the shoes of those who will be living it and hopefully, feeling happier for it.