The clients came with a clear brief: they wanted impact. They needed us to help them turn that instinct into a coherent idea.

It starts at the entrance. Bert & May encaustic cement tiles run floor to ceiling, their geometric pattern making an immediate statement before a single door is opened. The den, designed for the teenage children, carries that energy through - navy velvet, dark walls, a graphic rug that commits fully to its own boldness.

Carrara marble herringbone tiles and a deep charcoal upper wall make the bathroom a room homeowners are happy to send guests to. Against all of this, the study and understairs workspace were designed as a deliberate counterpoint - light, fitted, functional. Both built out with bespoke joinery; the study adding warmth through walnut and an Eames lounge chair by the original fireplace, the understairs workspace making smart use of what could easily have been dead space beneath the staircase.

The poured epoxy resin floor runs through the communal area, and the period staircase is dressed in a dark chevron runner that ties the floor back to the house above.

The result is a basement that doesn't feel like one. A floor that is now an integral part of family life.