Following the final results of the International Property Awards 2017-2018, we meet the designers behind three of the major award-winning interiors.
Fashionable flair with timeless elegance
Oliver Burns is an architectural interior design studio that works across an exclusive portfolio of international turnkey projects. The company has recently won the ‘Best Interior Design Apartment UK’ award for The Brummell Penthouse at Beau House in St James’s, London.
Managing director of Oliver Burns, Alex Holden, says, “Named after George ‘Beau’ Brummell – the Regency dandy and arbiter of men’s fashion – we designed The Brummell Penthouse as a stylishly-crafted tribute to the building’s historic location, blending Beau’s fashionable yet tailored flair with a timeless elegance. The space is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of contemporary luxury living and showcases best-in-class British craftsmanship, with cues that honour the heritage of Jermyn Street woven throughout, such as oak herringbone laid floors and pinstripe marble walls, bespoke upholstery and subtle chevron prints.
“The colour palette takes in a handsome and sophisticated range of Beau-style understated hues (he once instructed that gentlemen should wear only three shades: white, black and dark blue) while hints of bronze, burnt orange and emerald green add a contemporary edge and character.
Beau Brummell’s statue, which stands proudly on Jermyn Street, is inscribed with the epithet: ‘To be elegant, one should not be noticed’ – a concept of discreet but exquisite style flawlessly captured at The Brummell.”
The pièce de résistance lies at the top of the sweeping white Namibia marble staircase. There, a retractable glass roof opens to reveal one of the most spectacular roof terraces in London. “This is a matchless space with a unique 360-degree panorama of some of the city’s most important landmarks,” explains Alex. “Envisaged as an extension to the interior entertaining space, the terrace – which totals almost 1,000 square feet has a vast all-weather sofa and chairs arranged around a fire pit with a retractable 42-inch outdoor TV and speakers hidden in planters. This is an unrivalled space for al fresco parties. Even the capital’s finest professional chefs will feel at home working in the state-of-the-art stainless steel outdoor kitchen.
“The jewel in the crown of a building, the penthouses we work on usually benefit from considerable light and space, which we further enhance with large expanses of glass such as double or triple height windows and doors with an emphasis on external roof terraces. This, in combination with an open plan layout, ensures light is not blocked and panoramic views are undisturbed. Internally the design focus is on bringing the outside in, and externally, creating a wow-factor roof terrace that brings the inside out.”
Alex advises that, the better the view, the more desirable the penthouse, so it’s always worthwhile trying to secure that extra space on the roof if permission isn’t currently there. “At this level buyers expect the best,” he says, “so roof terraces should ideally extend the full width of the building and offer a large versatile space for outdoor living. To achieve a truly amazing penthouse requires a multi-sensory approach to design, clever utilisation and planning of space, and delivery of the wow factor.”
