Bickenhall Mansions

The Brief

Positioned in a mansion block, Bickenhall’s floor plan originally had a reception dining-room, kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The core brief was to achieve three bedrooms and three bathrooms, integrating the kitchen into the main space to make it feel more inclusive. Being a large space, it felt very closed in, therefore the goal was to open it up as much as possible to allow natural light to diffuse throughout the apartment. 

The buildings architecture was grand and luxurious; therefore, it was decided to reflect this by incorporating traditional design features into every room, which included panelling and cornicing. Collaborating with the client, it was important to include modern features too to add contrast. 

We are experts in spatial planning

Experts in spatial planning, a third bathroom was designed successfully to meet the clients’ needs. To achieve this, the size of the kitchen was reduced by 600mm on one wall.

To add a dramatic feature using bold materials, Calacatta Viola Marble was used, a creamy white marble with a distinctive grey veining for the worktop and island. The island was cladded in this to make it look like a solid block, with a floating table extending from it to create a social space. On the back wall, the marble was used to add character to the space, dropping the facia of the sink to imitate the Butler style – a nod towards a traditional feature in a contemporary approach. 

The marble was an important feature in the kitchen, therefore the fabricator mapped out the slabs prior to installation to ensure the natural veins and their direction joined- offering a seamless result.

The Guest Cloakroom/Showroom

As the third bathroom was a new addition to the space in the centre of the apartment, it had no natural light. To overcome this, a bespoke large-scale mirror was designed to sit behind the vanity, with the goal to diffuse and bounce the light as well as to create an illusion of a bigger space. To play with proportions and scale, an oversized Hamman basin was designed, allowing the vanity height to drop lower than usual, which resulted in a feature piece and the illusion of more space.

The Second Bathroom

The second bathroom was long and narrow, featuring a large window to allow lots of natural light to enter and diffuse across the space. Where possible, its best to not position the toilet in front of the door as it shouldn’t be the focal point within the design, however this could not change in this instance. By recessing a wooden cabinet, the intention was to distract the eye away from the toilet as you enter.

A long narrow vanity was designed to maximise the width of the space.

The Master Ensuite

The master ensuite was a very generous space. To break it up and to create zones, the floor was raised in the wet area to allow for waste and drainage for the shower and freestanding bath.

In the wet area, to create an interesting feature on the back wall fluted tiles were used, staggered and back lit with LED lights, to exaggerate the texture. Any bathroom is an intimate space, especially an ensuite as it leads off the bedroom. 

Adding contrast and depth, it was decided to have the window and shower screen in a dark finish.

By positioning the bath under the window, the recess was utilised to create a tap ledge to mount the satin brass bath taps, as well as to provide a ledge space for the free-standing bath.

On the lower zone, two oversized counter bowls were mounted on the floating vanity furniture to create a double basin area. Again, it was decided to play with proportions and scale to challenge the norm. The intention here was to soften the space and make it fell less like a bathroom, and more like an extension of the bedroom.

The Bedrooms

To create continuity in floor finish and to reference a timeless approach, a light oak herringbone wooden floor was used.  This created a seamless finish flowing from room to room. The finish was light in tone, helping to bounce natural light and to make the space look and feel bigger. 

The wardrobes in all three bedrooms were made-to-measure, tailored to suit the style and dimensions of the space, as well as to house the air conditioning units. The doors were tall and sleek, featuring brass detailing to add a luxurious touch. 

The third bedroom was designed to act as a multifunctional flexible space, keeping it simple to allow the client to use it as a guest room, home office, or gym.

Challenges to tackle

An issue faced in all three bedrooms was the air-conditioning units. The client didn’t want them to be on display, and the only way to conceal them without restricting the ceiling heights was to house them in the wardrobes. Consequently, the wardrobes were custom-made to fit.

The Hallway

The hallway was the entrance to the apartment, and as this was a development project, the space had to make a good first impression to the potential buyer. 

It was designed to feel grand, styled as if it was an art gallery. The panelled walls housed beautiful pieces of art, framed in dark finishes to add contrast against the light-coloured walls. 

Overall, it was a truly a generous space, with links to all rooms, blending the apartment together. 

The Living Space

The property had a large open plan living and dining space, with two large bay windows to allow lots of light to enter. By using traditional cast iron radiators and wall panelling, the result was fitting for a mansion block apartment.

A bar area was added to the dining end of the room, and a floating low marble shelf was added to the living space wall. This created a focal point at each end of the room.