Elm Tree Towers

The rooms had been carved up unevenly, and not very practically, so the first job of this interior design was simply to reset the floor plan around everyone's needs. We settled the home on a black, white, and grey theme, then worked in marble and timber to hold the balance between cool and warm. From the living room, the view off the balcony now reads straight through, and the daylight that comes with it softens the whole scheme without closing down that broad outlook.

To keep the cool black-and-white mood, we set box cabinets dressed in black steel and leather against the wall behind the sofa, which gives the room a robust, slightly intellectual edge. White particle board and a shine-through lighting effect balance that out, and a little white space with soft warm light neutralises the cooler tones so nothing feels hard.

The real change is the corridor, which became the heart of the home. We took down some of its walls and put storage in their place for the owner's red wine collection, then set the piano there too, so the area earns its keep several times over. Both flanking rooms gave up a little floor to make room for a tailor-made desk seven feet long, wide enough for two computers. The corridor is now a workspace and a common room at once, and because everyone passes through or pauses here on the way in and out, it quietly draws the family together.