This month we\u2019re enjoying a visit to a property in central Stamford whose interiors have been transformed by Heather and Alan Mowat of H-Works on St Mary\u2019s Street. The couple have helped the property\u2019s owner to create a light, spacious and very cool place in which to enjoy her collection of contemporary artists\u2019 work\u2026 and a small army of grandchildren!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeff\u201cI think I found the perfect interior designers,\u201d said Maggie, the owner of this rather beautiful town house in Stamford, transformed with the help of Heather and Alan Mowat of H-Works. \u201cI think you\u2019ve been the perfect client,\u201d replied Heather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for us, I think we\u2019ve found the perfect project by which to showcase the talent of the St Mary\u2019s Street-based interior design studio and shop, headed up by the couple for over 15 years. Walking us around the property, and looking at the 3D renders of their proposed scheme, it\u2019s soon apparent that this can not have been an easy property to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enter the house and you\u2019re greeted with what was once an oppressive narrow corridor, now opened up to create a large, light open-plan living and dining space. In front of you there are stairs down to a garden room and a very pretty enclosed courtyard, and to the left of the dining area, a few steps down, is a contemporary reception room, a space once occupied by a garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The multi-level layout of the house gives it great character, but makes it challenging to connect and reconcile… that\u2019s unless you\u2019ve experience working in the town\u2019s historic properties and within listed properties or those within Stamford\u2019s conservation area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maggie first encountered H-Works during a visit to their shop; at the time she was looking to downsize to a new home she could put her own stamp on. A few months later she returned having found her ideal property (and her chosen interior design studio), and a collaborative design consultation between them began, which would see walls being removed to take out the narrow hallway, creating the larger, open-plan kitchen, as well as new bathrooms plus a reconsideration of the property\u2019s floors, walls, furniture and lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
H-Works approaches each project (whether a full scale renovation, new build or just a room refresh) holistically with commitment to designing spaces that are a true reflection of the clients living in them. Overseeing every aspect of the design process including project management, furnishings, fabrics, decorative accessories and bespoke details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maggie is a keen collector of work from a number of contemporary artists \u2013 Fred Yates, James Mortimer, and photographer Richi Powell for example \u2013 from her favourite gallery, Richmond\u2019s Prince & Pilgrim. Her key briefs to H-Works were that she needed lots of usable wall space <\/p>\n\n\n\n
for display and that she had a lot of grandchildren (14, hopefully 15 by the time you read this), so the environment needed to be largely clutter free and durable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this in mind H-Works set to work specifying products that would fit the bill, such as Amtico flooring, rugs that look and feel like sisal but are durable enough to be scrubbed, Little Greene paint and stain resistant fabrics on the furniture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These were incorporated into a scheme designed to combine practicality with comfort as well as creating a canvas to showcase the client\u2019s own favourite pieces. This was then presented in a series of 3D renders which helped Maggie to visualise the scheme in its entirety and to get a real sense of what her home would look like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project took just over six months to complete and the end result is an amalgamation of practical yet beautiful design elements. The paint shades are from Little Greene\u2019s Colour Scales range, principally Slaked Lime in graduated shades for subtle variations as well as a sense of continuity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sofa and fabric cubes are bespoke, commissioned by H-Works on the client\u2019s behalf utilising fabrics from designers like Colefax &\u2008Fowler, Linwood, Larsen and Jane Churchill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As attractive as the sofas are, they are also family-proof, with a 30-year guarantee on the glued, screwed and dowelled oak and ash frame, and Linwood\u2019s \u2018bulletproof\u2019 Omega stain resistant fabric. The dining room boasts a natural solid oak top and base table <\/p>\n\n\n\n
with matching chairs with vegan leather upholstered seats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also bespoke is the oak panel by the front door, with hinged arms that fold down to provide storage for coats and shoes… it\u2019s unique and practical, but also really attractive. Likewise, the lighting which is consistent throughout the entire ground floor emits a beautiful warm defused light and is the creation of a Spanish designer utilising a stainless steel perforated and painted mesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special mention should be made about the bespoke built in bunk beds that include a trundle, conceived by H-Works to accommodate the maximum number of grandchildren at one time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was actually away when the finishing touches were being put to the room but when I walked in I was thrilled,\u201d says Maggie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2008thought I\u2008knew what to expect as the 3D renders are accurate but seeing the result for the first time, and seeing my art on the wall was so wonderful. I love the place and if I\u2019m away, I yearn to be back there… it\u2019s such a wonderful place to spend time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHeather and Alan are wonderful, and I\u2019d recommend them to anyone, it\u2019s been a really enjoyable experience with a great end result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
H-Works is located on St Mary\u2019s Street, Stamford, providing interior design inspiration, it is a destination for laid-back living, quality-driven goods from curated essentials to thoughtfully edited statement pieces to make a house feel more like a home. Bespoke soft furnishings and a full interior design service. Call 01780 754605 or see www.hworksdesign.co.uk. @h-works-interiors.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n