House Woods

House Woods is a magnificent transitional home located in Waterfall City, Midrand.

The client embarked on a residential 'refresh' with the aim to update the various interiors, while still retaining the personality and character of the home.

The Design By Ei Wood Interior Design Studio was appointed to refurbish two of the bathrooms and to transform their guest bedroom into an occasional bedroom for their grandson.

We also needed to refurbish the home through re-arranging personal art pieces, adding an exquisite custom- framed gallery wall and personalising their space to match their current phase of life.

The project kicked off by engaging the client in a general interior- finish consultation, which is vital to any project. This included new wall paint colours.

At the time of the appointment, new carpets were being installed.

The studio had to take into account the existing warm neutral tones of the carpet, as well as the existing timber skirting, door frames, and other timber details.

We decided on a warm off-white colour for the walls, to enhance the welcoming atmosphere. This created a space that embraces the open-airy feel as you enter through the new, full-height glass doors.

Lobby Entrance

The colour was the perfect choice to allow bright natural light to bounce off and illuminate the space, contributing to the feeling that welcomes the client to their home.

We restyled the lobby further by changing around the art, relocating beautiful existing planters and simplified the focal point by bringing all attention to the centre, where we retained a unique glass and timber table.

The existing decor on the table was restyled and simplified. This created a clean look and transformed the table into a feature piece, both from the view as you enter, as well as from the top of the stairs, as you look down into the magnificent double-column space.

GALLERY WALL

The gallery wall became a special feature. It was completely customised with unique photos that the interior design studio re-touched and converted to black and white to create harmony.

Every image was carefully selected by the client as a reminiscent collection of memories. We were handed the task to create the perfect layout by grouping the images, choosing custom sizes and having it custom framed.

To create cohesion with the existing timber and neutral tones, we introduced various white finished frames with darker timbers, successfully tying in the old with the new.

The wall is not immediately noticeable as you enter into the space, but subtly catches your eye as you walk deeper into the home. The choice of a gallery wall personalised their home, catching their unique charm, which will easily prompt conversation with any house guest.

Formal Lounge & Dining

The formal lounge was just that, slightly too formal. It lacked vibrancy and character, but it had a beautiful base that we could work with.

So instead of throwing everything out, we chose to retain most of the existing furniture pieces. We replaced an old sofa with lovely velvet armchairs to add interest. We also added a splash of green and greys through various decor elements such as; throws, faux plants, scatters, and other decorative features.

The existing antique coffee table was slightly too small, which made it seem out of place, but it had to be kept as it has special sentimental value to the client.

To address the design issue, we introduced brand new leather ottomans in green, which contributed to the new color tone and added balance to the space.

To further enhance the harmony between furniture and decor, identical new art pieces were introduced on either side of the existing television.

Once completed, the new lounge was still familiar but had a new take.

It went from formal and bland, to inviting, filled with interest and character that speaks directly to the client and their unique style.

Formal Lounge

Neat wiring on all electronics

Formal dining room attention to details

Formal Lounge

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Boys Bedroom

As mentioned in the introduction, we needed to devote a room to their grandchild, a young boy about to enter into his teenage years.

We knew we had to not only create a space that he would love, but that he would also want to grow into as he moves into the next phases of his adolescence.

The studio began by inquiring about their grandchild's favourite colours, his interests, hobbies and current age. It needed to be a space all his own, that could encourage and stimulate his creativity and imagination. We came up with a design that embodied the cool spirit of skateboarding, comics and art.

His favourite colour is blue, so we went bold and introduced a bold blue on the built-in cupboards, whilst adding other tones of blue through custom art, bedding and a new floor rug.

We kept the wall colour neutral to offset the blue slightly and create calm.

To add a sense of fun and play, mustard yellow was the perfect contrasting colour.

You may notice that instead of choosing extremely primal colours that are popular for a little boys room, we opted for slightly darker tones, which tend to mature a space slightly and allows for a broader age group to identify with the space.

The furniture pieces were carefully selected to be masculine, but timeless enough to last for many years to come. The selected pieces also work with other tones and colours, should the client ever want to change the colour palette in future.

The end result was a perfect balance between the present and future, the boy of today and the young adult of the near future.

Boys Bedroom Mood Board

Boys room study nook

Boys room lamp decor

Boys Bedroom Mood Board

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The existing bathrooms were outdated and in great need of a brand new look.

In these areas, we proceeded with a full refurbishment and replaced all sanitary ware, finishes and accessories.

The approved concept was an embodiment of classic meets contemporary.

By mixing clean lines with slight curves, the elements of both feminine and masculine were introduced and invited to play off of each other.

The tones selected carried forth the cohesion within the home.

The master-suite enhances the lighter tones and the guest bathroom was made to be darker and moodier, but still encompass the overall feel of the home.

All sanitary-ware was kept bright, white and crisp, to allow the light to bounce off the chosen stone finishes and create an element of contrast and interest.

A special thanks to Gelis Kitchen Experts, with whom we collaborated on the custom vanity and general bathroom design. They did an immaculate job.

Bathrooms

Special Thanks

We owe the success of this project firstly to our amazing client, that allowed us to create something beautiful and meaningful.

Secondly, we have to thank Gelis Ktichen Experts for their input, designs of various built-in cabinetry through-out the home and their impeccable work, not just during design, but also during project implementation.

We sincerely hope that the client enjoys their newly renovated spaces for years to come and want to say thank you for choosing us to assist them in making their house feel like a home.

For more information on how you can get in touch with Gelis Kitchen Experts and to find out how Design By Ei Wood and Gelis Kitchen Experts may able to assist you with your own home design, please don't hesitate to contact us by sending us a message here.