We’d love to give you a little sneak peek into the design style of The Marches and what inspired it. We think it is quite unique and we hope you’ll love it as much as we do. The building has a strong visual style with vibrant blues in the corridors and accent walls, so the design package had to work and flow with the strong colour choice. The Marches apartments also have a high spec finish in the kitchens, so we didn’t want any item of furniture to draw focus away from this.
We work with architecture and interior design company, The Vawdrey House who created the interior design of the social spaces and the furniture packages for the apartments.
They go out to suppliers and start to look at furniture options. They see what others are using and what’s working and what’s not working in the industry. They also look at design consultancy studios and trend tracking websites.
From here we can create a mood board. Sometimes more than one, sometimes multiple versions of the same one. In a mood board, you’re thinking about style, pattern, shapes, textures and materials. You can use one item to inspire a whole mood board. It can be a piece of art or a statement chair. Sometimes it’s something small like a tile or a tap. You can use this item as a starting point and use its colours, shape and style to inspire the rest of the board.
Otherwise, we think about what we want in the space. What’s it made from? How does it feel? How do people interact with it and how does it fit with the style? For example in the concierge we’ve used shape, colour and wallpaper to create cosy corners and striking vignettes And then back to the floor plan. Now that we know more about what we want to buy, how does that fit in our floor plan? Do the dimensions work? Have we tried to include too much? You can see the concept coming together now.
So, entering the 2nd floor concierge space, you are greeted by a brass and concrete reception desk, backed by a bold graphic wallpaper (by British company Custhom). A sculptural boucle sofa, instantly recognisable and impactful, yet refined and considered sets the tone for the building.
Seating areas on this level provide options for lounge or more formal lettings meetings with the resident services team. Clever accents of paint colours define the areas and pull together the furnishings.
We needed to ensure that it provided a homely feel that would be suitable for all ages and styles by using comfy sofas and usable dining sets.
For the apartments we chose items like the side table that reflected these strong brand colours and paired it with a sofa and TV console that had a more muted version of this colour palette. It’s a big sofa and we didn’t want the sofa to overtake the room or draw focus, so it made sense to keep the colours soft.
The majority of the furniture is designed and manufactured in Britain. This was important to us from a sustainability perspective as we’re using British talent and expertise, and shopping from a national, rather than international, pool. This dining chair was made by British company Allermuir and is so durable. Allermuir is a family run business and you sense that love and care in the quality.
Also, with sustainability in mind, these rugs are from Weaver Green and are made from plastic waste that would otherwise pollute our seas or sit in landfill. Weaver Green have explored the many ways that this practical, robust material could be given a second, more long-term use in the home.
So of course the only lamps that made sense were Anglepoise — a British design classic since 1932. We’ve put those in all apartment bedrooms.
The main moto across all the items is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, so all the solid wood is certified by the FSC and is sourced from a responsible and renewable source. In fact, the majority of the furniture is recyclable. The material can be reused again when the apartments get refurbished further down the line and/or can be taken to a recycle facility to be processed for reuse.
When dressing our show homes, we went even closer to home. This gin is from Surrey based distillery Silent Pool and the ceramics are from Surrey Ceramics. There’s also a wine from local vineyard Greyfriars and the honey was made in the Surrey Hills. It’s important that these brands resonate with local people moving into The Marches, but also work as an introduction to the area for those moving here for the first time.
We designed this show home with families in mind. The storage space for baby and kids is more than ample as well as lots of space for running around and step free access right to your door.
Every apartment has a work from home space. It was important to us to make sure that was designed in. Flexible working is vital to our residents and a huge factor in creating a good work / life balance. We’ve also made sure we’ve given you all the plug sockets and charging points you need.
We wanted to style of the apartments to flow through to the social spaces, so you’ll see the colours and the furniture styles of the apartments repeated here. The social spaces should be an extension of the apartment rather than a separate space, so are perfect for working, relaxing or socialising.
There are lots of work from home spaces here giving our residents a flexibility to choose where they work. There should be a space or a corner for everyone, depending on their light and comfort preference. Couple that with as this awe inspiring view. If that doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, I’m not sure what will.
We hope you enjoyed this insight into The Marches. We put the time and energy into designing The Marches to take the time and energy out of your home search.
You are bossing this, ‘finding a place to live’ thing. Give us a call and we’ll take it from here.
