Elegant Family Home – Full Home Renovation in the Cotswolds
Comfortable, High-Quality Living Spaces for a Returning Family
Phase 1 : At a Glance
Location
South Cotswolds
Client
A professional couple with primary-school-aged children, recently returned to the UK after living abroad
Property
1920s family home with various later additions
Project Scope
Phase 1: Sitting room, entrance hall, shared home office, TV room, landing and partial update of guest bedroom with ensuite.
Investment
£150,000+
Timeline
12 months
Why They Chose Us
They were looking for a design studio that felt right for their type of home and budget —not just focused on major renovations or period houses. Our structured process, strong project management, and clear communication stood out. In their words: “It didn’t feel like a ‘hobby’ business or a one-person setup where things might slip through the cracks.”
The Brief
To create a stylish but not overly trendy home — comfortable, high quality, and well put together — designed for family life and informal entertaining.
The Result
A cohesive series of calm, practical spaces with bespoke elements, excellent storage, and a layout tailored to how the family lives and works. We’re now working with the clients on Phase 2 of their home.
Background
Our clients (a professional couple with school-aged children) had recently returned to the UK after several years abroad. They had settled into a 1920s home in the South Cotswolds, which had been extended over time, but were living with a mix of inherited and ill-fitting furniture that didn’t suit the new spaces.
This was their first long-term family home in the UK, and they wanted to invest in making it both comfortable and practical; designed for how they live, entertain, and work.
They were time-poor and didn’t have the ‘know-how’ to achieve the polished, high-quality result they were after. They also needed a trusted team to manage the details, including reliable trades.
Why They Chose Us
“The website made it clear this was the right kind of company for our type of home and budget — not just focused on large-scale renovations or period houses. We also liked that it wasn’t a ‘hobby’ business or a one-person setup. What really stood out was the structured process and strong project management, which felt professional and reassuring.”
They were reassured by our clear process, strong communication, and the confidence that comes from working with an experienced team that’s set up to manage every detail.
Our Brief
The clients wanted a cohesive, high-quality home; comfortable and stylish, but not fashionable for fashion’s sake. It needed to feel calm and welcoming, with storage, flexibility and durability for growing children and frequent guests.
Our Approach
As with all our projects, we began by getting to know the clients — how they live, what matters most to them, and what wasn’t working. Through our six-step design and project management process, we moved from concept to fully costed, signed-off design, using 3D visuals to give them confidence in each decision.
Once designs were approved, we managed everything through to completion — sourcing, trades, installation, and final styling. The result is a home that now feels completely theirs.
What We Changed
Sitting Room
- A calm, grown-up space with no TV — perfect for entertaining or quiet time.
Bespoke British-made armchairs and flanking sideboards designed to fit the room exactly. A custom made chaise to perfectly fit within the confines of a narrow room which allows the user to look out over the garden.
Extended the original parquet flooring into newer parts of the home using skilled floor specialists
Home Office
Designed for dual use, with concealed storage to maintain a clean backdrop during video calls
Practical layout for two people working comfortably side by side.
TV Room
- Reworked to suit relaxed family time. We swopped the TV to the other side of the room so a bigger sofa could fit into the room.
- Reused and repositioned some existing items, including the pink sofa and coffee table
Guest Bedroom & Ensuite
- Partially updated to tie in with the rest of the house while respecting earlier choices
Landing & Entrance Hall
- Updated for better flow and visual continuity
- Added an antique monk’s chest for shoe storage as well as custom made drawer unit for gloves etc.
Client Experience
“Extremely happy with the result. Loads of time and pressure taken off us. Really fantastic little black book of tradespeople who were such high-quality professionals. The communication – both the listening and the responding – was really excellent. We loved walking into a finished home at the end — just brilliant.”
They particularly valued:
- Clear, structured communication from the outset
- Timely updates, face-to-face meetings, and problem-solving when needed
- The quality and professionalism of every tradesperson we brought in
- Our ability to listen, adapt, and deliver what we promised
Project Highlights
- Bespoke armchairs and joinery made in the UK
- Reconfiguration of underused rooms to match their lifestyle
- A well-managed, phased transformation with minimal disruption
The Result – Before & After Transformations
A warm, welcoming home that works beautifully for daily life and regular informal entertaining — stylish without being showy, and designed for a busy family to enjoy for years to come.
We’re now working with these clients on Phase 2 of their renovation, and they still tell us how much they love walking into the finished rooms.
To help the client visualise the transformation, we created a 3D visual of the space. The slider below compares the 3D design (left) with the finished room (right) — offering clarity on layout, finishes and flow before any work began.
Planning a renovation and want to get it right from the start?
Complete the Discuss Your Project form – a chance to talk through your ideas, understand what’s involved, and see how we could help make the whole process run more smoothly.
There’s no hard sell — just practical advice, thoughtful input, and a sense of whether we’re the right team to take it forward.