Collaborating with Partners Who Share Our Values, a Visit to Lashlake House with Stone and Tilemakers Artisans of Devizes.
Charmaine White, Senior Interior Designer at HollandGreen visited Grade II Listed Home Lashlake House with Artisans of Devizes, the stone experts and tiler makers. She speaks about her design principles and the HollandGreen approach with Artisans Brand Director, Mike Dible.
The Renovation at Lashlake House
Restoring and breathing new life into a beautiful but very neglected Grade II* listed five bedroom family home at the heart of a historic market town in Oxfordshire was the challenge, with our clients’ brief to transform the property while remaining faithful to the character of the original building. Louise Holt was chosen by the clients to create elegant interiors.
The project was a complete refurbishment from top to bottom, including reroofing, rewiring and replumbing, and involved close collaboration with local conservation teams and Historic England. Neglected but beautiful original features such as the 300 year old windows, historic joinery and plasterwork were carefully restored, while at the same time a modern aesthetic was evoked.
“At HollandGreen we sensitively bring older buildings into the 21st century so they have lots of light and some open plan living, if that will be possible and our clients would like. We create contemporary, comfortable spaces in keeping with and respecting the venerable charm, history and the character of each property.”
Ben Holland, Partner at HollandGreen
The sympathetic renovation saw the introduction of two new bathrooms and the addition of a sensitive extension to create a large open plan kitchen diner with much more light.
“The back of the house, the very old part of the house, was very dark,’ says the homeowner, ‘but we wanted the extension to be very much in keeping with the rest of the property. We didn’t want to change the structure of the house at all other than the kitchen. We were thrilled with the way HollandGreen introduced light.”
“The house is just bathed in light.”
Homeowner, Lashlake House
Artisans of Devizes’ input was crucial to the scheme. Their Vellenoy Limestone with its soft cloudy hues was chosen for the flooring, its tumbled finish evokes a country aesthetic. Teamed with Shaker-style cabinetry in muted chalky tones, it helps bounce light around the airy space. The utility rooms, which were the original scullery rooms, adjoin the kitchen diner and have original stone floors so the homeowners were keen to install flagstones that were in keeping for a cohesive look.
“In all our projects, one of the things we have to do is make sure that we are using the correct stones in the areas that they’re intended. Artisans of Devizes are fantastic at being able to impart their knowledge to our design schemes – there’s fantastic collaboration between our two companies and our clients,” says Charmaine.
“We always consider the context and the history of the building when recommending the materials to our clients so as to create stunning and contemporary spaces that uncover and celebrate the original character and charm of the building.”
Mike Dible, Artisans of Devizes
When it came to the bathrooms, classic elegance was the order of the day from Louise Holt. Both spaces have exquisite roll top baths as their centrepieces. Tongue and groove painted in a smoky grey provides a traditional backdrop in one bathroom. One of the shower’s splashback features Artisans of Devizes’ Aliseo Marble Mosaic Herringbone, a classic white marble with subtle grey veining that injects understated drama.
In the other bathroom, the backdrop to the rolltop bath is an elegant Georgian window that bathes the room in light. An Aliseo Marble partition separates the bath from the shower, while an Aliseo Marble tiled splashback provides continuity. An antique washstand with a bespoke Aliseo Marble top and splashback maintains the cohesive finish.
‘One of the great things about working with Artisans of Devizes is that they will go above and beyond in terms of sampling and they have an extensive knowledge of the stones and the materials that they supply. They have the same values as us in terms of the quality we provide,’ says Charmaine White, Senior Interior Designer.
Through a holistic consideration and collaboration with the architecture, the interior design by Louise Holt and the stone and tiling from Artisans of Devizes, the design has restored the property to its former glory, with light-filled rooms that have been sensitively updated for modern living.
See the video below explaining how our client experienced the design journey and the realisation of her home.
What’s Next?
If you would like to find out more about Artisans of Devivzes, please visit their website here.
Whether you’re looking to transform your space or design an imaginative new build home or extension, we can work with you to create a space that is unique to your property and lifestyle.
As a Studio of architects, interior designers & landscape designers, we bring award-winning projects to life while taking a seamless and holistic approach to each design.