Turning a house into your HOME

Catherine Roth visits a typical 20th century detached house that has had a contemporary facelift to fit perfectly with the owner’s tastes and lifestyle

From the outside it could be described as a fairly ordinary house yet step inside and the living space has been transformed. Interior designer, Amandine Viant of Studio Amandine, has brought new life to a property in Willington in South Derbyshire – where once just a small kitchen stood, there is now a brightly lit contemporary living space.

The owner of the property had considered moving but realised that she and her husband loved the location of their four bedroom detached house. However, with her children grown up yet regularly coming back home to visit, as well as entertaining wider family and friends, she wanted more space to welcome guests and to create a holiday home-like feel to the place for when she and her husband retire.

After initial plans for the extension had been drawn up by a local architect, the house owner approached Amandine to turn the space into a home.

Amandine, who has worked for interior design studios in Paris, Melbourne and London before moving to Nottingham and opening her own studio, says, ‘I like to start each project with the layout and how it will function. My first priority is practicality and then I will make it look nice. That’s really important for me.’

She began by talking with the owner and using mood boards to find out what she wanted. Amandine says, ‘It’s about making the design process accessible and finding out what the client really wants. It’s about coming up with different options and it is a very collaborative process. It’s about not imposing what I think but getting the client to a better place and making sure they’re happy.’