Sarah Mather, Managing Director at Interiors by Casa, is the brains behind the interior design of the show homes at our newly launched Keld community in Barrowford. Having spent months getting to know the local area, understanding the design of the homes and imagining the families that may live in them, Sarah explains the interior design inspiration behind the twelve77 show home.
The first time I stepped inside the twelve77 show home I was immediately impressed by its use of space. The Northstone design team had really thought about the families that could eventually live in this home, creating large spaces that can flex to suit different lifestyles.
When approaching the interior design, we had a young, busy family at the front of our minds. A family that is constantly taking part in hobbies and having friends over, but that also loves spending time together.
One thing that we really wanted to reflect was children’s presence in every part of the home. Traditionally show homes are designed ‘adults first’, and you rarely see evidence of children outside of a bedroom. We know that’s not reality, so we’ve ensured the family is considered in every room. As you walk around, you’ll see this through small details like games and colouring pencils in the shared spaces.
Interactive and liveable storage
As this home was created for a busy family, each room includes liveable, interactive storage – every storage piece chosen is designed to enable people to easily access the things they use every day, without any space feeling storage heavy.
When you first enter the living room you will see a bespoke TV/storage unit for books, games, as well as photos and other items. This was created with a collection of different floating Ikea units, which is a clever trick to make a space look and feel even bigger.
As the living room is such a large space we used a beautiful sofa with natural materials to divide the room, creating a study or ‘work from home’ area towards the back of the room. We also wanted the desk to float to showcase the space and match the statement unit, so we worked with an Etsy maker to create a custom desk with flexible storage through a peg board - remember, a bespoke piece doesn’t need to be expensive!
We used Ikea benches at the back of the room too to create a storage bench seat, perfect for children’s toys or spare blankets and cushions. These create even more seating and space for entertaining.
Bringing the outdoors in
One of the biggest draws about the Barrowford area is the amazing green space on your doorstep. This is something we took a great deal of inspiration from when creating both show homes at Keld.
When walking around the twelve77 you will see different shades of green in each room, but we’ve used this sparingly, so it doesn’t pull the focus from other areas or feel overwhelming.
It’s not just the colours that bring the outdoors in, but the different natural textures we’ve used, like the mix of linen and leather on the sofa, and the range of outdoor and plant prints in every room. Even small touches like the green mountains painted on a cupboard in one of the children’s rooms was carefully chosen to reinforce this idea of bringing the outdoors in.
Cohesive spaces
Taking themes through multiple rooms, like the different green tones and use of plant motifs, is a great way to create cohesive spaces. But if picking one theme feels overwhelming, a simple trick to pull a space together is to make sure there’s at least two matching elements. In the children’ bedroom with bunkbeds you’ll see we’ve used a cross pattern on the walls and in the light fixture – the room feels cohesive without this appearing too in your face.
Creating calm spaces
All of the shared spaces were designed with families in mind, however we wanted to create one area that gave the adults a place of calm to enjoy without the kids. The inspiration for the master bedroom was a high-end hotel, so we used a mix of luxurious textures across the bed linen and created a statement headboard that stretches the length of the wall and feels opulent.
Interior design is a great way to express yourself and create a home that reflects you - don’t be afraid to try some of these tips in your new home!
To find out more about the homes available at Keld, and book a visit to twelve77 in person, contact Glenn on 01282 917001
