Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

This page: The main bedroom has another cleverly conceived space-saving bathroom tucked into the eaves. A picture window
runs the full width of the room, flooding it with light – “It is a lovely place to wake up in – and have the view.”
and warmth to the space with artwork and plants, and use
shelves and objects. We have a great interior stylist, Molly
Hill, who has helped us create the look.” Having the main
living area all as one and co-ordinated all the way through
allows for some of the smaller rooms to have their own
characters. The loo has been tiled with quirky salmon
coloured scallop tiles. Elements in Sophie’s study – her desk
and shelving units, tucked behind the arch – have been
made in her company colours of bold green and orange.
Detail is important, as is working with trusted suppliers, a
case in point being their builders Sixmile Construction, who
Sophie has worked with on many projects. “That’s how I
approach my projects with clients,” she says, “it’s all about the
smaller details and gaining an understanding of one another,
so that you and your wider team are always working together.”
“I always start by using hand drawing to communicate
ideas to clients – CAD software looks so final and is not
collaborative in the early stages of design – it’s vital to
understand how people live and what’s important to them.
It can be a bit like being a therapist at times,” she adds,
and it’s obvious that it’s something she has a flair for.
There are some brilliant tips and solutions to space issues
here – insights gleaned from the lessons learned in creating
both their previous flat, this house and from Sophie’s
experience in helping her clients achieve their aims.
Period houses can be tricky to update sympathetically.
Transforming small dark rooms into light and spacious living
areas, without ruining their character, is hard. Expanding an
existing building, while preserving the spirit of the original,
harder still. It takes empathy, respect and an understanding of
how to best inhabit a space to make it fit for contemporary
living and at the same time retain a sense of place. Using
Sophie’s architectural experience, Sarah’s engineering prowess
and the combined skills of their interior specialist and
building contractor, they have more than achieved it here.
Address Book:
To speak to Sophie about a design project,
visit sgarchitects.co.uk
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