What was the brief?
• To take the extremely tired and dated former nurses accommodation block in a stunning terrace of Regency townhouses - that was blighted by worn out furniture, dark and uninviting corridors and dilapidated finishes & furnishes - and create light, bright & inviting studio apartments for a wide range of potential tenants.
• To work to an extremely tight budget - as any overspend on any items would be multiplied by 64 times; meaning we had to closely scrutinise each purchase at every stage
What were the key challenges?
The ensuite studio spaces were all extremely small - yet we wanted to kit out each with a double bed, seating space, dining area and kitchenette. This meant we had to design the interior layout & source the products and materials with extreme attention to detail to fit everything in while maximising the feeling of space within the limited areas. Due to the size of the project (64 studio apartments plus communal areas) we also designed a level of repetition into the spaces; grouping studios with similar layouts together and creating design principles that each shared. This meant instructions to the work force remained simple to follow - eliminating mistakes that invariably come out of over complication. By forming a close working bond with the Client, Architect, M&E team, Developer, Contractor and Project Manager - Vernon House shows just how successful a project is when all members of the Design & Build teamwork in perfect harmony.
What materials did you choose and why?
All materials chosen had to meet the very high standards of UK commercial standards. All fabrics had to offer exceptional wear & meet UK Fire Retardency standards, while delivering the comfort and personality of a residentially designed interior. We didn’t want to deliver an interior that felt ‘commercial’ or formulaic - rather a simple yet luxurious scheme that would feel comfortable. The interior products & materials had to stand up to rigorous use - as tenanted spaces tend to get much harder wear - and needed to function as beautifully as they looked for repeated tenancy periods. We also designed a strong and identifiable palette to give the building its’ own signature style so that it would stand out in a competitive market.
Vernon House, Primrose Hill – a collection of studios for rent
- Redefining semi-permanent accommodation -
The word bedsit will conjure up many thoughts & preconceived images; and until now I bet none of them are cool right? Pascoe Interiors &Modulor Studio have re-thought the bedsit, presenting a new wave of slick, light & bright Modern British bedsits in the heart of Primrose Hill.
All the Interiors combine a carefully curated selection of materials that are as durable & practical as they are beautiful, embodying Pascoe Interiors’ self-imposed Sustainable Design Policy.
Every detail has been designed to deliver lifestyle enhancing spaces with galleried Studioson the raised ground floor feature a king size mezzanine sleeping platform, to take advantage of Vernon House’s 3.5m ceilings.
Adding to this the highly collaborative nature of the project as well.
About the interior design by Pascoe Interiors
Prior to the project, Vernon House had been nurse’s accommodation. Practically, the building needed a thorough overhaul to bring it up to current standards; physically it was tired & dated with dark and shabby studios that felt claustrophobic with unwelcoming narrow dark corridors.
Aesthetically the property was extremely dated and lacking in any lifestyle. Primrose Hill has a classy reputation home to various famous faces; the hill, village, buildings, eclectic inhabitants and proximity to London’s primary attractions meant the interiors needed to lean towards a more formal style than the eclectic looks that sprung to mind when we considered the initial student clientele.
Rich dark blue is coupled with crisp pale grey; picked out with matt black accents to create a strong base palette; against which plants & bright pops of colour lift the schemes. The resulting interiors are attracting a far wider clientele - ranging from students & post grads to professionals looking for a mid-week base; showing how the style of the interior is key to the overall building & businesses success.
How did the introduction come about?
I was recommended to the project developer by one of the architects at Modulor Studio (the project Architect), who I came to know some years ago when providing kitchen designs, interior planning & decoration direction for their home. Despite a few years passing unbeknown to me, I must have made a good impression on Alistair & his wife Alison, for Alistair to recommend Pascoe Interiors for this project
what was your involvement from the start to end?
Modulor Studios were engaged to restructure the building (adding an extension; building a new garden room and refurbishing the fabric of the building to meet today’s sound & energy requirements), and oversee the overall project on behalf of the Client & Developer. Modulor Studios recommended Pascoe Interiors, who undertook full responsibility for the interior design, decoration and furnishing throughout - and worked collaboratively with the rest of the design team on the M&E (electrics, plumbing & heating) design and specifications.
The wider design team consisted of Project Developer SAV Group & M&E Consultants Milieu Consult - with further direction from English Heritage & planning advisors.
What were the challenges apart from the obvious size of spaces ?
To have a consistent design that allowed repetition with interest to form a strong style for the project. The first task was to agree the design principals for the interior style of the refurbishment. After presenting a number of varying themes, a crisp, ’scandi-noir’ interior was chosen by our Client, to reflect the artistic, yet classy London vibe of the Primrose Hill area. This identity was continually referred back too during the design process to ensure that all decisions revolved around the desired aesthetic.
Three design tiers cross through the building to reflect the varying degrees of original and traditional features across the 6 floors ranging from the simple ‘elementary’ spaces in the basement & on the 4th floor, through ‘classic’ to ’traditional’.
Initially we all believed there to be a high degree of repetition of studio shape, allowing us to design 6 principle ’studio’ layouts that could be rolled out through all the 64 spaces; however we quickly learnt that each studio was more individual than this, meaning each space had to be individually designed on plan to ensure the bijou studios were planned to perfection. Working in spaces that are so small, there is absolutely no room for error. Everything had to be planned to fit to perfection.
Were there any environmental considerations or upcycling or recycling introduced ?
Yes many. Pascoe Interiors strives to ensure that all projects adhere to our self imposed sustainable design policy - something we have championed and followed (along with championing the Best of British design) long before it was fashionable to do so. Sustainable design does not simply revolve around buying products and furniture with eco credential claims; it is an attitude to design. The easy option for any designer is to entertain and set out to purchase beautiful new pieces to meet the Clients full shopping list of desires. The harder sell for a designer, is to question and challenge a clients’ desires - questioning what it is they really want beyond the aesthetic - using our position of influence to encourage our clients to make responsible decisions and to buy products with longevity in mind.
These studios are designed to be hard working rental spaces. We cannot assume that the tenants will look after the spaces as well as they would their own home - but have to design them to be able to take all the rigours of life that might be thrown at them, while retaining their high specification, simple luxury style. For this contract grade products and finishes designed for commercial environments were selected, and - where possible - products that not only boast, but can prove eco / sustainable credentials. The Bolon flooring is a great example of high end, practical, sustainable style; by emulating a woven flooring, it creates a soft and ergonomic aesthetic; practically the ‘weave’ is formed into the face of the product, meaning it has no gaps for dirt or spills to become lodged - making it extremely practical; and being made largely from recycled material, it is intensely sustainable.
British Designed products can be found in the common dining room lighting; in the Buster & Punch door handles and in the beautiful, bespoke carpet running the length of both stair cases - woven by Hartley Tissier specifically for Vernon House.
What did you learn as a designer from this project ?
Having spent the majority of my 20 year career focussing on individual private homes, I relished the learning curve of designing for scale & repetition. This project had to be approached in the same way as a luxury hotel or high end multi inhabited private development. Whether I am designing one room or for a 64 studio building such as Vernon House, the design stages and approach are the same; but I did relish the scale of the project - and becoming a key member in an established Design Team; together with which I have gone on to collaborate with on three other projects.
Projects like this are a group effort. The success of the project is testimony to how well we all worked together, and the strong team we make. Everyone in the Client’s Design team brought different, highly specialised skills to the table. We all accepted full responsibility for our area of expertiseand worked in full support of one another to achieve the common goal.
A great example of us all working together was how we responded to the feel of the corridors - which you could argue were reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel from the Shining - as they originally felt long, dark & narrow corridors. We realised that they featured a false ceiling to hide the M&E pipes and cables above, and that above this M&E there was a lot of space. We decided it was worth the expense and effort to raise all the M&E to lift the ceilings, physically and visually opening up the communal corridors. Considering ways to conceal the M&E, I pointed out that perhaps we shouldn’t take the stance of ‘concealing’ it, but instead should mask it discretely with a handsome architectural detail - such as a slatted ceiling. Working with Modulor Studio, a slatted ceiling design was agreed, and the slats made up by a joinery company in Middlesex; who also went on to make up the studio vertical slatted screens, that were designed to continue the ’slat’ theme in the building. By bringing all of our skills & design eyes to the table, we were able to quickly consider, agree and implement ideas that were not only aspirational, but well considered and logical, so guaranteed to succeed.
Material Used :
1. Flooring: Studio flooring - Elements by Bolon
2. Corridor flooring - Cloudscape by Forbo
3. Stair carpet - Bespoke colour carpet by Hartley Tissier
4. Interior lighting: Pendants (black) - Strap 36 by Nordlux
5. Pendant over communal dining table - TR Bulb by Tim Rundle
6. Chandelier in entrance by Visual Comfort
7. Interior furniture: Dining tables - Bold 4750 by Viaduct
8. Dining chairs - WW Chair by Hayche
9. Sofas & Armchairs - Bespoke commissions from Morgan Furniture
10. Headboards & beds - Bespoke commissions by Pascoe Interiors
11. Slatted screens in studios & slatted ceilings by RR Joinery
12. Interior Decoration: Main stair wallpaper - Avalon by Arte
13. Studio wallpaper - Signature Canvas by Arte
Window treatments: Supplied and fitted by Pascoe Interiors
Basement & 4th floor blue wool fabric - Abraham Moons
Ground & 1st floor mole velvet - Alvar by Style Library
2nd & 3rd floor grey velvet - Alvar by Style Library
