house style
For the first time, we’ve brought the Livingetc aesthetic to life, decorating houses that are now for sale. Pip Mccormac explains how our collaboration with FABRICA led to some elevated homes
Long before the pandemic could ever have been imagined, the Livingetc team sat around a table, putting mood boards together. We were imagining what houses would look like if we decorated them from scratch, what designers we’d turn to, what colours we’d use, how they would feel to be lived in. Developers FABRICA had asked us to implement the interior design at three show homes at Amber Parkside, its then unbuilt new set of two-, three-, four- and five-bed properties in Cranleigh, Surrey. It was the realisation of a dream we’d long had, to add design to the set of services we can do.
We knew the homes would be architecturally interesting – large vaulting roofs providing arched ceilings and big windows – and the perfect backdrop to our take on contemporary style. In our House Tours Open Door webinars, in features meetings or with clients, I’ll often talk about how a home is ‘very Livingetc’ , and the places we feature have a certain distinction that is hard to quantify. We like a mix – of styles, or textures or eras – with nothing too matched or one note. Here at Amber Parkside we’ve been able to blend designers such as Sebastian Cox, Pinch and Julian Chichester with brands such as Neptune, Jane Churchill and Heal’s, and the look started to feel layered, interesting and smart.
As the build was finished and our style team moved in, I’ve been delighted as the design has fallen into place. Turning to our close friends and collaborators, we’ve been able to create a fleet of richly enticing schemes. The two-bed show home we’ve called ‘Modern Decorative’ features some graphic pattern against soft marble finishes. In the three-bed, our take on ‘Refined Industrial’ is full of warm metals, painted wood and hand-worn accessories – head to Livingetc.com to see them both in their full glory. Here in the four-bed house, we’ve focused on our love of natural materials, craftsmanship and the personality they create. I think FABRICA’S properties could become the dream home of any Livingetc reader, whose decor would flow in just as beautifully as ours has.