ART AFICIONADOS

Not to brag, but this client came to us out of the blue after having seen our work on the Toast of the Townhouse – all dark and atmospheric and cosy. They wanted something similar for their own new home, the top two floors of a four-storey townhouse. However, when we got there we knew that sort of inky interior wouldn't work. The couple's new home was south-facing, luminous with natural light, so a darker interior would've led to the sun bouncing and reflecting orange light everywhere. Disastrous, we're sure you agree.

Our task was to figure out something entirely different that would complement the light and still enchant the clients – maybe even more so than the moody haven they'd had in mind. As soon as we walked through the door, we knew the place had to have an element of calm and serenity, with the clients' extensive collection of artworks taking centre stage and making the rooms pop. The walls, the ceilings, the doors – all one colour so the eyes are able to focus on what matters: the art.

Working closely with an architect, we redesigned the layout entirely, putting in new flooring and plumbing and wiring, and shapeshifting the walls. It was important to us to create something that would suit how the clients actually live their lives rather than focusing on what a house of this size 'should' have. Their interests, their social lives, how they spend their day-to-day – we took it all on board and incorporated it into the design.

The biggest change on the first floor was opening up the wall between the lounge and dining room, allowing guests to move from one to the other without traipsing through the hall. However, arguably the most crucial change was transforming the built-in cupboard into dedicated art storage. The neutral palette we implemented throughout the home means our clients are able to switch out their artworks whenever the whim takes them.

In the kitchen you can see how we incorporated the clients' desire for a darker, moodier atmosphere, with the dark green cabinetry and the walnut detailing, while still keeping the space airy and bright. The layout of the room was left more or less the same as the original – a kitchen needs to function in a certain way, after all – but with one notable alteration: we halved the size of the pantry in order to make space for the much more significant artwork storage on the other side. Who needs food when you have art?

The original top floor was like a rabbit warren: an L-shaped corridor leading to four small, grim rooms, some of them internal and lightless. We knocked down the walls and rehabilitated the space into one large, bright master bedroom with a luxurious ensuite.

With this newfound expanse at our disposal, we snuck in a wee dressing room behind the superking bed – the half-height headboard separates the two areas into distinct spaces without confining the dressing room to a claustrophobic corner.

The bed itself is positioned to look out the window while still being private, as it isn't overlooked at all. And we get in the splash of moodiness and continue the flow of the home with the dark green of the curtains.

The ensuite is our pièce de résistance. Not only did we design an opulent space one could luxuriate in for hours, we also upgraded the boiler system so our clients could fill the tub to the brim with hot water while simultaneously running the shower for... let's just say a long time (we wouldn't want to incriminate anyone). And, of course, we asked the question on everyone's mind: how can we hide the toilet? That's always the starting point, if we're honest.

We used large-format porcelain tiling with a marble design throughout the room, because the bigger the slab, the better it looks: neater tile pattern, less grout, fewer cuts. Reeded wall mouldings coupled with the reeded glass of the window and shower screens give the space gentle, soft curves. Opulent indeed.

We tucked the toilet away in the corner and obscured it with solid bases for the shower screens.

After getting to know our clients and how they use their space, we opted to ditch the traditional study you might find in a home such as this, and instead created the snug. The first thing any snug needs, especially for the long-legged among us, is an enormous sofa to stretch out on. So we got the biggest sofa we could feasibly fit in the space and built the rest of the room around that. Neutral hues provided the perfect background for bursts of colour and Rubik's cubes.

The two guest bedrooms and bathrooms are embellished with touches of the same burnt oranges and dark greens found throughout the rest of the home – and that's because we are nothing if not consistent.

Flow and continuity are an important part of this home's design, and you'll find hints of it everywhere – not just in the oranges and the greens, but in the reeded glass of the kitchen and the hallway and the ensuite, in the the neutral palette that drifts from room to room, and, above all, in the artworks lining the walls and giving this townhouse its unique flavour.