Yoga Cottage

The Yoga Cottage
Taking relaxation seriously (but not too seriously)

Originally a run-down barn with garaging underneath, this building wasn’t exactly screaming “zen sanctuary”, so we knocked it down and started again, working closely with the brilliant team at VESP Architects.

Now, tucked away in the wild and wonderful Dorset countryside, this dreamy little cottage has been reimagined as a serene yoga retreat with a twist. Our brief? Create a space that invites deep breaths, long stretches, and luxurious sleepovers.

We designed a light-filled studio for sun salutations by day and added three guest bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, for hosting friends, family, or fellow yogis in comfort and style. Natural textures, layered linens, and soft, earthy tones flow throughout, with the occasional playful pop (because we can’t help ourselves).

Whether it’s downward dog or a long lie-in, the Yoga Cottage is a peaceful pause from the everyday, designed to restore, rejuvenate, and maybe inspire a few spontaneous handstands.

Photography: Sarah Griggs
Architect: VESP architects

Contractor: NBC

Berkshire Family Home

Historic 15th century Berkshire home reimagined for 21st century family life Once owned by Queen Elizabeth I and occupied by the same family for over 300 years, this stunning riverside home was a mouthwatering commission. Working in close collaboration with its new owners and their architects, we brought a simple, elegant interior vision to life. The family wanted a liveable space, so with 3 boys sharing the house with mum and dad, open plan was definitely off limits. Four very individual bedrooms gave the boys their own zones to be themselves – to be noisy without impinging on the rest of the house. Those other rooms – for dining, cooking and relaxing – have a peaceful, relaxing colour palette and smooth materiality. We upholstered soft, sumptuous seating in muted colours and specified pale wooden floorboards in reception rooms in the new extension and an oak herringbone hallway floor for the original part of the house. It’s in that space that the interior design language is established – a statement of restrained taste, with a statement contemporary table to balance the vintage tapestries inherited with the house. The minimal aesthetic is echoed throughout the ground floor – soft, neutral tones when relaxation is the priority, with darker, brooding shades demarcating the cinema room and office. We designed and handcrafted much of the home’s furniture and soft furnishings and specified statement lighting throughout. Upstairs, the boys’ bedrooms are subtly different, yet each maintains the home’s simple, pared back style, with traditional features retained to provide a backdrop for modern colours, textures and storage solutions. The family bathroom also features a stunning storage unit, created by the talented contractors, who sealed the units with micro-cement. Glance up as your wander through this landmark home and you’ll see the original beams, still doing their job, while looking fabulous doing it. These were sand blasted to reveal their original glory. The tones and colours of these fundamental supports are echoed elsewhere in the house, in spaces that are equally functional and just as beautiful. The boot-room is a prime example – dark wooden cabinetry and feature wall complementing the deep button tufting of the central bench seat.

Styling: Hannah Simmons
Photography: Sarah Griggs
Architect: CSK Architects
Builder: Tenon

Dorset Cottage

Restrained design amplifies the charm and quirkiness of this Dorset cottage.

Full of character and overflowing with period features, this stunning cottage is an arts and crafts gem. We didn’t want to overpower the simple charm of the place, so designed the interior using a restrained palette and chose furniture and furnishings with simple, delicate lines.

By involving our clients every step of the way, we built a rapport that became central to the project. The better we understood them, the closer to their vision our design became. It’s an approach that serves us well on every project – insight that influences creativity; owner personalities reflected in every design decision.

All design elements have been carefully chosen to retain the home’s original feel, while also updating key elements where required. Lighting is subtle, while décor is elegantly simple. Natural stone surfaces add a touch of luxury, while also grounding the cottage’s place in the landscape.

Photography: Natalie Dinham
Architect: VESP architects
Builder: NBC

Dorset Family Home

A stunning Arts & Crafts home in Dorset, reimagined with genuine love.

Four years ago, while the world hunkered down in various states of lockdown, our clients completed the purchase of a charming Arts & Crafts house in Dorset. The views overlooking Lyme Regis and the generous plot were the bedrock of their plans to refurbish, extend and add to this quintessential English home. As is our natural way of working, we got to know the clients before we put pencil to pad. We also teamed up with their architect, VESP, an award winning studio based in South Devon. Planning permission secured, we designed the new bathrooms and kitchen in the space created by the architects’ new central hub area that blends seamlessly with the original house.

We loved the atmosphere of the old home and retained that essential ‘feeling’ when extensively remodelling and rewiring the building. Overseeing all building work, we also specified the materials used, so that when completed, the home still has a very similar vibe to when the clients first found it. Lighting is deliberately low key, while décor and finishings are effortlessly unfussy so that little distracts from the exterior architecture and the unspoilt views across the rolling Dorset countryside. Natural stone surfaces connect with that landscape, providing variations of tactility throughout the kitchen and bathroom areas, while broad boarded and herringbone parquet floors define rooms as well as moods.

The past four years have seen the gradual emergence of a breathtakingly beautiful family house, one that the clients now love so much that they are selling their London home and relocating to the south coast, keeping a pied-à-terre in the capital for when work demands their presence. When the project ends, we will miss our regular trips to Dorset, liaising with the brilliant building team, catching up with our clients and immersing ourselves in the stunning Dorset countryside.

Photography: Natalie Dinham, Sarah Griggs
Architect: VESP architects
Contractor: NBC

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Mayfair Apartment

Thoughtful and thought-provoking: an inspirational sanctuary in a modern apartment development

Our client purchased two apartments off plan in a new development in Mayfair. With essentially a blank canvas to work with we tasked our team of joiners, builders and decorators to introduce a warm, more traditional look that aligns with the owners’ taste and design aspirations. We softened the edges and brought a cosy, cocooning feel to the home by using rich textures, eclectic patterns and a few quirky, personal additions. Structurally, we designed and installed a glazed partition with double doors that turned one section of the main living space into a sanctuary for reflection and study. By sourcing authentic antique furniture and accessories, as well as fitting half-wall wooden panelling, the apartment looks authentically Mayfair – classy, intelligent and established. And although this was a complete turn-key solution – right down to the flowers in vases and food in the fridge – the owners were involved at every key decision-making milestone. The result is an oasis of calm; an escape from the always-on energy of London; an interior that is uniquely theirs, but of course has the distinctive Violet & George hallmarks of craft, creativity and inspiration on display at every turn.

Photography: Natalie Dinham

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Eaton Square Apartment

Eaton Square Apartment, Belgravia

Emblematic of how genuine collaboration with clients results in a very personal interior that is uniquely theirs.

In one of London’s most iconic squares you’ll find this gorgeous Grade II listed penthouse apartment looking out over the immaculate communal gardens. It’s a spacious, three-bedroom, three-bathroom pied-à-terre for an overseas family of four who call it home when their travels bring them back to the UK. This was a very personal, collaborative project with clients who themselves have a keen eye for antiques, art and ceramics. They are also keen readers, and we took great pleasure in compiling a library for them, based on their interests and hobbies. Chatting through this aspect of the project gave us a great insight into their taste and aspiration. That, in turn enabled us to achieve the perfect tonality throughout the rest of the apartment.

The client also provided plenty of other inspiration, sharing their favourite fabrics and inspirational images as well as accompanying us to antique fairs and dealers to select key pieces. The result is a colourful, exuberantly patterned scheme that has a welcoming, homely feel. And although most of this project focused on furniture, fittings and equipment we also designed and built bespoke joinery, refinished all floors and redesigned the master bathroom. We also created height and space in the dining room by elevating the ceiling and upgraded the AV and AC systems throughout. It’s testament to the closeness of the client relationship that developed over the course of the project that they meet up with Nicky whenever they are in town.

Photographer: Natalie Dinham
Styling: Hannah Simmons

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Hyde Park Apartment

Gloucester Square Apartment, Hyde Park

Adding warmth and colour to the lower ground floor of a Grade II listed apartment

We were initially commissioned to re-design two rooms in this two-floor garden courtyard apartment, but were quickly given the task of refreshing the entire lower ground floor. Comprising three bedrooms and three bathrooms we brought colour, pattern and light to what had become quite a subdued living space. The clients are keen travellers, so we took inspiration from the books and artefacts brought back from their adventures. The result is an explosion of energy and joy, with a brave mash up of styles from Japan, Scandinavia, Morocco and of course England.

It was a challenging project with quirky shapes and spaces to accommodate, but we embraced the eccentricity, creating archways and incorporating the theme into bespoke joinery. Fitted vanities and wardrobes completed the look, and we even commissioned a landscape gardener to make more of the apartment’s courtyard. The result is transformational, with colour, pattern and light filling the charming lower ground floor.

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Hampstead Family Home

Tuning into a family’s character by turning up the volume on fun

The challenge we faced in this traditional Arts & Crafts house in Hampstead was remodelling it to accommodate a young, expanding family. The result was a complete refurbishment of the five-bedroom home into something fun-filled and functional that also retained much of its rich heritage. Our clients’ previous home was blandly designed in tones of grey and white and although they didn’t realise it at the time, it didn’t accurately reflect their true personality. This is a family that loves parties, music, art and festivals but this was only revealed after a conversation with Nicky. Once established, creating an interior environment that was aligned to their loves and likes became a much easier exercise. Of particular note were how we filled the bathrooms and WCs with bold colours to add moments of jollity in the smallest bathrooms and create genuine talking points for visitors and guests. But the fun didn’t stop there. We also designed and installed fun-packed double bunks in the kids’ bedroom that featured a climbing wall and upper reading deck.

Photography: Natalie Dinham and Sarah Hogan
Styling: Hannah Simmons

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Holland Park Townhouse

Art collection inspires glorious remodelling of family home

A considered, hand-in-hand approach to creating the perfect family home.

This Holland Park townhouse required some very specific design solutions to enhance the owners’ lives. Helping to hang the family’s art collection, with its vibrancy and eclectic style provided invaluable inspiration for the rest of the home’s décor. Bold, vibrant Chinoiserie wallpaper from De Gournay contrasts with angular art deco ornamentation; hard and soft surfaces coexist side by side, and there’s a quirky eclectic look that pairs the old with the new; bold vibrancy, counterbalanced by cosy, intimate spaces. We designed and built custom furniture and specific joinery elements, suggested soft furnishing colours, textures and window treatments. We also worked with some of their existing furniture, helping to make it work seamlessly in their new, much larger property. We also gave each of the kids’ rooms a fun, individual character through the soft furnishings, fabric and lighting schemes.

Photography: Natalie Dinham
Styling: Hannah Simmons

Category

Interior Decoration · Interior Design London

Bespoke Curtains, Blinds and Shutters in London

MADE TO MEASURE CURTAINS

Violet & George made to measure curtains service was born out of enthusiasm for the tradition of textile design and soft furnishings production. Over the years, we have become synonymous with luxurious bespoke curtains that reflect our diverse range of clients unique and individual tastes. Explore our portfolio of made to measure curtains and unleash your spaces potential.

For an initial consultation of the strictest confidence with the interior tailors of London, call 020 8969 0654 or info@violetandgeorge.com

Triple pleat headed curtains with soft valance pelmet with box pleat on the corners

Triple pleat headed curtain on nickel curtain pole with nickel rings

Triple pinch pleat curtain with contrasting leading edges on an antique brass pole with wooden rings and finials

Triple pinch pleat headed curtains on an antique brass pole with wooden rings and finials

Curtains with soft valance pelmet with box pleats

Dress your space to fit the purpose

Selecting the right fabrics and fixings for a project is a sympathetic blend of our experience, knowledge and talent with our ability to interpret our clients requirements closely. We can help dress a window to light up space or make the best of a spectacular London view. Design a cosy London snug that invites you to relax and unwind after a testing day, or create an air of decadence in a luxurious dining room. With a combination of the right colours, patterns or textures, together we can create a unique style that will reinvent your space to suit your own personality

The right fittings for the right space

Whatever you need to refresh and reinvigorate your windows, we can combine the existing with the new, to design a window space that meets your requirements. With colour and texture to set the tone, we can alter the impact of a window area with shutters, blinds or curtains depending on its dimensions and purpose.

We can frame a view or bring the outdoors in. With a sympathetic blend of fabrics, bring harmony and create a sense of unity with materials that complement the scheme of your existing interiors. Alternatively, we are always happy to start with a blank canvas to design, source and deliver all you need.

Together with our network of London fabric specialists, trusted suppliers and bespoke curtain makers, we can dress your window space with quality fittings and materials that will reinvigorate and restore harmony with texture, pattern and colour.

Contact us to find out how we can enhance your new or existing windows with exceptional levels of expertise in fabric, blinds and shutters without the need to redecorate. We hand make all our curtains and blinds in our workshop within 80 miles of London.

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Berkshire Family Home

Dorset Cottage

Dorset Family Home

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Mayfair Apartment

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Eaton Square Apartment, Belgravia

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Gloucester Square Apartment, Hyde Park

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Hampstead Family Home

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Holland Park Townhouse

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MADE TO MEASURE CURTAINS

Dress your space to fit the purpose

The right fittings for the right space