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Houzz Tour: Starting From Scratch in a New-build Home
A top-to-toe design, begun long before this house was even finished, brings instant warmth and style
Eager to create their forever family home, the owners of this new-build house in Essex hired Natasha Burton of NB Interiors well before it was even finished. “The walls were up and the roof was on, but that was about it,” she recalls.
Natasha was tasked with designing the entire house and used Houzz Pro software including Mood Boards to track the details for each space. “The brief was that, as soon as they got the keys, I would go in and furnish it, then they would move in straight after,” she says. “So I was visualising it all while the house was still a shell, working from the floor plan a lot – which sometimes changed – and whenever I did have access to the building, taking all the measurements and photos I possibly could.”
It was a huge project and an organisational challenge, but Natasha pulled it off, much to the delight of the owners. “Seeing everything come together during the end stages was just amazing,” they say. “Every space [was] what we envisaged and more. With her experience and knowledge, we have our perfect dream house and couldn’t have done it without her help.”
Natasha was tasked with designing the entire house and used Houzz Pro software including Mood Boards to track the details for each space. “The brief was that, as soon as they got the keys, I would go in and furnish it, then they would move in straight after,” she says. “So I was visualising it all while the house was still a shell, working from the floor plan a lot – which sometimes changed – and whenever I did have access to the building, taking all the measurements and photos I possibly could.”
It was a huge project and an organisational challenge, but Natasha pulled it off, much to the delight of the owners. “Seeing everything come together during the end stages was just amazing,” they say. “Every space [was] what we envisaged and more. With her experience and knowledge, we have our perfect dream house and couldn’t have done it without her help.”
Although newly built, the house has a Georgian style, with a front door at the centre leading onto a wide hallway. “It wasn’t a blank box, which was nice,” Natasha says. “The Georgian design gives it character and detail.”
The owners wanted the house to feel cosy and comfortable, and not too modern. When it came to choosing colours, though, they were slightly conflicted. “He likes grey, she loves colour,” Natasha says, “so I blended in both.”
Since the house was a building site for much of the time Natasha was working on it, choosing colours was not straightforward. “There was no fixed lighting, so it was quite hard to visualise, but I love picking colours and have a sense of what works in terms of greys,” she says.
Walls painted in Elephant’s Breath; woodwork painted in Charleston Gray, both Farrow & Ball.
The owners wanted the house to feel cosy and comfortable, and not too modern. When it came to choosing colours, though, they were slightly conflicted. “He likes grey, she loves colour,” Natasha says, “so I blended in both.”
Since the house was a building site for much of the time Natasha was working on it, choosing colours was not straightforward. “There was no fixed lighting, so it was quite hard to visualise, but I love picking colours and have a sense of what works in terms of greys,” she says.
Walls painted in Elephant’s Breath; woodwork painted in Charleston Gray, both Farrow & Ball.
The owners wanted the living room at the front of the house to feel elegant. Along with plush seating and ornate lighting, Natasha added a drinks trolley to signal that this is a grown-up space for entertaining.
Sofas, Love Your Home. Flooring, Amtico.
Ask your designer if they use Houzz Pro software: tools, such as 3D Floor Plans and Mood Boards, can help you easily visualise designs for your space.
Sofas, Love Your Home. Flooring, Amtico.
Ask your designer if they use Houzz Pro software: tools, such as 3D Floor Plans and Mood Boards, can help you easily visualise designs for your space.
Natasha picked a soft blue for the walls of the living room. “One of the owners loves grey, but I joked with him that I refused to choose grey in here. Used throughout such a big house, it could look cold,” Natasha says. “So I pushed him out of his comfort zone a bit in here, but when he saw the finished room, he just said, ‘Wow!’ and was over the moon with it.”
Natasha looked for a good-sized coffee table for this space, but when she couldn’t find one she liked, she simply bought two of the same design and pushed them together.
Walls painted in De Nimes, Farrow & Ball. Wall lights, Graham & Green. Chandelier, Lights & Lamps. Coffee tables, Perch & Parrow.
Natasha looked for a good-sized coffee table for this space, but when she couldn’t find one she liked, she simply bought two of the same design and pushed them together.
Walls painted in De Nimes, Farrow & Ball. Wall lights, Graham & Green. Chandelier, Lights & Lamps. Coffee tables, Perch & Parrow.
A second living room works as a media- and playroom for the family. Natasha had the media wall joinery made bespoke and there’s a false wall behind the TV that hides all the wires.
“The drawers hold toys and games consoles, but in future can be any kind of storage,” she says.
Walls and joinery painted in Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball.
More: 23 Media Units That Create a Stylish Focal Point
“The drawers hold toys and games consoles, but in future can be any kind of storage,” she says.
Walls and joinery painted in Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball.
More: 23 Media Units That Create a Stylish Focal Point
A large sofa creates space to relax. The owners sold most of the furniture they previously owned. “This was basically a clean slate,” Natasha says. “They had lived nearby in a smaller place, and a lot of their furniture wouldn’t have fitted this property. It was an opportunity to go all-out and create their dream home.”
Sofa, Made.com.
Find architects and interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Sofa, Made.com.
Find architects and interior designers in your area on Houzz.
At the rear of the house there’s a spacious open-plan room containing a living area, a kitchen and a large orangery.
The colour scheme of soft greys and blues flows throughout the ground floor, with this teal sofa echoing the decor in the formal living room. The mirror helps to boost the light and reflects the shape of the door beyond, which leads into the garden.
Sofa, Darlings of Chelsea. Mirror, William Wood.
The colour scheme of soft greys and blues flows throughout the ground floor, with this teal sofa echoing the decor in the formal living room. The mirror helps to boost the light and reflects the shape of the door beyond, which leads into the garden.
Sofa, Darlings of Chelsea. Mirror, William Wood.
The kitchen opens off the social living area, and this space is now very much the hub of the home.
Armchairs, Sofa.com.
Armchairs, Sofa.com.
The developer chose the kitchen layout, cabinets, worktops and appliances and Natasha advised on colour and then added the other details, such as these glass pendant lights over the island.
Pendant lights, Nkuku. Stools, Cult Furniture.
Pendant lights, Nkuku. Stools, Cult Furniture.
The huge orangery houses a 3m-long table, made bespoke to fit the space. “The owners entertain a lot and have a big extended family, so it was important to have as big a table as possible, while leaving enough room to move around it and access the doors to the garden,” Natasha says.
More: Here’s What it’s Really Like to Work With an Interior Designer
More: Here’s What it’s Really Like to Work With an Interior Designer
The boy’s room is a light, bright space with windows on two walls. As there’s a lot of storage in the downstairs playroom, there was no great need to pack in lots more here. Instead, it’s a space for play and sleep. “He can grow into it, too,” Natasha says.
Walls painted in Skylight, Farrow & Ball.
Walls painted in Skylight, Farrow & Ball.
A fun, low bed is strung with lights.
Bed, Room To Grow. Cabinet, Mustard Made.
Bed, Room To Grow. Cabinet, Mustard Made.
Neutral tones give the family bathroom a timeless feel. Natasha had to choose all the tiles for this room, plus the two en suites and a cloakroom downstairs, from a single supplier that the developer worked with.
“Their designs were mostly all neutrals, so it led me down that road,” she says.
Tiles, Porcelanosa.
“Their designs were mostly all neutrals, so it led me down that road,” she says.
Tiles, Porcelanosa.
The owners wanted the master bedroom to have a hotel-like feel. It had to be calm, neutral and not too colourful. “It’s the favourite room of one of the owners. Her tastes are more traditional, French and not super-modern,” Natasha says. “She loves this space.”
Bed, And So To Bed. Bedside drawers, French Bedroom.
Bed, And So To Bed. Bedside drawers, French Bedroom.
In one of the guest bedrooms, Natasha introduced an element of fun with the pink-striped bedding. “I didn’t want the scheme to feel too samey,” she says. “I continued the neutral backdrop, but brought in the pink, too.”
Bed linen, John Lewis & Partners. Walls painted in Mizzle, Farrow & Ball.
Bed linen, John Lewis & Partners. Walls painted in Mizzle, Farrow & Ball.
“People are often happy to go a bit bolder in a guest room,” Natasha says. “The owners loved the green bed and patterned bedding I chose here, but wouldn’t have wanted it in their own room. They host a lot, so this guest room gets lots of use and it’s a big success.”
Walls painted in Jitney, Farrow & Ball. Bed, Button & Sprung.
Tell us…
What do you like most about the design of this family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Walls painted in Jitney, Farrow & Ball. Bed, Button & Sprung.
Tell us…
What do you like most about the design of this family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple with their young son and dog
Location Outside Colchester, Essex
Property A new-build, Georgian-style home
Size Four bedrooms and three bathrooms
Designer Natasha Burton of NB Interiors
Photos by Ursula Armstrong
As Natasha was involved so early in this home’s life, she was able to offer suggestions on layout and kitchen cabinet colour, and could tweak the existing electrical plans, too. “Then it was everything from flooring and wall colours to bathrooms and furniture,” she says.
In order to provide the full turnkey service the owners wanted, Natasha ordered furniture in advance and stored it. Then, once the purchase had completed and the house was ready, she arranged to have it all transported there. “The set-up took a full week,” she says. “This was one of the biggest, most demanding jobs I’ve ever done. It definitely stretched my organisational skills!”
Natasha uses Houzz Pro software on all of her projects, creating room boards that show each space in detail. The boards helped Natasha and her assistant keep on top of the huge amount of detail in the project. “We used it as a checklist for ordering and then, when we were taking in the deliveries, we could see exactly what was going where,” she says.