Oxfordshire period home

Project type: 6 bed period home redesign and space planning | Location: Oxfordshire | Project completed: 2026

This large Victorian house had seen a family grow up within its walls. But while children had moved out, careers had changed - the house had stayed exactly as it was. The owners came to us because it ‘simply didn't feel right’ anymore.

We brought fresh eyes to the house and took time to understand the gap between how the house was laid out and how it was really being lived in. And using our in-depth colour psychology and style questionnaire, we were able to discover exactly what the couple loved in terms of colour and style.

It transpired most of the house wasn't working as it should. The study, now essential, as both owners worked from home had been squeezed into a cramped attic room, almost as an afterthought. So, we looked again at what was possible. The old living room became the new study and library, keeping it firmly connected to the heart of the home rather than tucked away out of reach. The old dining room, in turn, became the new living room. Meanwhile, the living room faced the drive way and a stunning drawing room was abandoned all year (except for Christmas), because it was cut off from the rest of the house by an awkward layout.

Doorways did the heavy lifting in this transformation. We closed off one of a set of double doors in the study to improve flow and free up valuable wall space and created a new doorway opening in the living room for direct access through to the kitchen and dining area - reconnecting rooms that had been quietly working against each other for years.

Colour became the thread that tied the whole house together. Our clients' roots stretch between the UK and South Africa, and their love of colour runs deep. We introduced warm, layered palettes throughout the home, giving the house a confident, collected feel. Treasured artwork, gathered over years and continents, was given the wall space, and became the starting point for several of the schemes. The result is a home that feels vivid and personal and colourful in the truest sense, reflecting exactly who lives there.