Surrey Homes | SH105 | October 2023 | Interiors & Bathrooms Supplement inside

This page, clockwise: The original kitchen was softened with retro accessories; a corner of the sitting area – artworks are a prominent feature
throughout the house; The pink tiled splashback; A shapely dining table is by Bontempi
styles, soften a stark and industrial
look and yet keep its edge? What, if
anything, can be kept from a previous
property that was so vastly different?
“We didn’t know where to start.
Our previous house was pre-Victorian
– the interior was Arts and Crafts,
William Morris prints and lots of
texture and pattern. This is very
modern. We wanted to incorporate
design, pattern and texture here.
That’s where Justine stepped in.”
Enter Justine Hodgson-Barker of
Barkerdesign, who has helped the couple
to re-imagine the interior, tailoring it
to meet their needs, both practical and
aesthetic. The project was broken down
into phases. “Phase one was the kitchen,
living area and master bedroom,” says
Justine, explaining a little about how
they approached the initial brief. “The
building is very contemporary – it was
built in 2007 and there’s a lot of pure
light that comes in. It has such a bright
feel, we didn’t want to lose that and
respecting the bones of the building was
very important. The clients are putting
their own stamp on the interior by
injecting their personality into the decor,
while remaining true to the building.”
A beautiful kitchen had already been
installed by the previous owners, but it
had an industrial feel that was a little
too clinical for its new owners. “We
took out some of the steel and made it
more organic. It was really pared back
and a different style – exposed beams
and steely fixtures – so we softened it,
changing the handles, adding the pink
tiles and playing to more of a retro feel.”
Justine stresses that it’s important
to make sure that, “everything flows
and different eras come together.” An
example of this is the shapely Bontempi
table that she sourced for the dining
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