We were asked for some ideas to elevate the front entrance of a large Edwardian family home, comprising porch, entrance hall and coat cupboard.
Historically the property had been the gate house to a much larger country estate and had retained a lovely aged brass lantern off the top of one of the lampposts that would originally have flanked the entrance to that estate.
The client was considering replacing this porch light with something smaller, but with the lantern’s connection to the building and its value as an antique we advised it was worth keeping the slightly over-sized piece as a statement feature.
We proposed a deep blue shade for the front door and surrounding woodwork to create a bold contrast with the orange tones in the porch brickwork and also to provide a beautiful toning backdrop for the lantern’s blue-green verdigris patina.
Interior design advice
case study
Inside, the client’s images showed the entrance hall had at some stage been painted grey and white, with mid-height shaker-style panelling up the staircase.
The Edwardian space still had an abundance of original features including striking tiled floor, high ceilings with picture rail and cornicing & some original four-panel internal doors.
We recommended continuing the shaker-style panelling around the lower half of the ground floor walls to add dimension and interest, painting the woodwork (panelling, internal doors and bannisters) off-black to make the floor tiles pop and pick out a hue in the tiles themselves, and painting the upper walls & ceiling off-white to bounce light around and create contrast.
The original gate-keepers booth was being used as a shoe & coat cupboard; we recommended colour drenching this space in a bold hue to give it some personality, picking out the terracotta in the floor tiles.
With the only available natural light in the hall coming through the original Edwardian glazing in the front door, we advised replacing the upper panels in the cloakroom door at the back end of the corridor with period-style privacy glass, to allow light from the cloakroom window to filter into the space.
A light-coloured, heavy-duty stair runner in natural warm tones, classic black lanterns to reflect the porch light outside, a cast iron radiator & a contemporary mirror & art work were all part of our design essentials suggestions to bring the look together.
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