Sorrento

The family wanted a modern home but were tired of the wood-heavy look you see everywhere, so after a lot of talking we set the interior design on rich colour and arc lines instead, with metal and stone to hold it together. The aim was a balance: high-style and warm at the same time, with an open multi-functional zone where the children come first and safety is built in, not added on.

The set pieces do a lot of work. The television wall is made from grey artificial stone, slate and marble in shifting tones, layered and lit so it reads differently as you move past it. Behind the sofa, a multi-functional room uses double sliding doors as movable partitions, dressed in geometric patterns and glass and paired with open display shelving, which gives the living area a clear focal point. We widened the window sill into a little platform for the children to sit and read, and ran streamlined shapes and art paint across walls, ceilings and steps for a quiet, eye-catching finish.

The children's room answers the rest of the home. Rounded patterned wallpaper and soft curved forms make it playful and bright while keeping young ones safe, and even the storage steps are wrapped in leather, so the space is layered, safe and good-looking all at once. Nearly all the joinery was custom-made by our trusted partner factory.