Eight months after working with the clients to freshen their home before it went up for sale, interior designer Craig Rogerson from John Croft Design received a call to work on the clients’ next venture — their new home. “The owner has a great eye, but I think with such a large space, it was just a bit overwhelming for her,” explains Craig.
The family home features open spaces, five bedrooms and massive living rooms. “We concentrated on some general living areas first so the family could ‘get on with life’. Then we focused on the formal living and dining areas, which needed just the right balance between drama and function. The family likes to entertain so I wanted to create something friendly with an element of wow!” Originally the home was gaudy and needed not only colour, but detail. “Lots of features had to be removed, such as built-in buffets that had salmon-coloured fronts and granite shelves.
The house had good bones but needed more furniture to fill out the space and make it a home,” Craig said. When he sat down to speak with the owners about what they wanted, they were very open and had full trust in him and John Croft Design. “When I gave them the first presentation, they were very happy to go along with what I had chosen as they trusted me.” Focusing on these two living areas, Craig chose a colour palette of black, charcoal, neutral and red. This quite dramatic combination has been softened with neutral sofas and crisp white walls. The living room is anchored by a rug that Craig had custom-made and which he describes as a fusion of a few designs he liked.
“It’s a traditional design with very contemporary colours and I love this contrast.” Antique pieces and simple, cosy lounges supplied by John Croft Design complete this room. A 12-seat dining table was designed and custom-built for the dining room and takes precedence. Craig balanced the large piece with two buffets to provide symmetry and volume. A feature wall has been covered in modern floral wallpaper, which adds detail to the room. Other accents were introduced through ornaments and some personal knick-knacks. “I try to work in as much existing furniture as possible as that is what makes a home,” Craig explains. “There were a few pieces that belonged to this family that we kept and in the study we placed a large piece of art that was actually painted by the client’s brother. It’s these things that give that special touch.” Craig is slowly working through this large home and it is definitely a work in progress. He tells us that the girls’ bedrooms will be white and pink and very feminine, with other rooms having some purples, neutrals and blues injected. Just by looking at these rooms, we can tell this residence is definitely going to be something special.
