Our clients had recently refurbished their house in Battersea, close to Northcote Road, and now wanted to enhance their basement. They appointed us to help with design, but having project-managed the first phase of their project, they also wanted more hands-on help managing progress on site. Consequently, they appointed Granit to act as lead designer and project administrator.

The brief was to fully re-fit the existing basement, consisting of an office that doubled as a spare room, a shower room, a utility room and a playroom that also acts as an entertaining space.

Our client has two very young children, so the playroom/TV room is always required to be suited to multitasking. It has to transcend from a toddlers’ play area (all cupboards and doors needed to be child-proof) to a gym area for Pilates and small weight training to a TV/cinema space for family viewing.

Our client had an existing wine fridge but required a second. They also needed a home office space to work at and then conceal away when the children were around, with plenty of storage and display areas.

The new utility room needed to function well and look good. There were several specific requirements, such as the usual washing machine and tumble dryer, concealed laundry bins and hidden access to the basement tanking pumps and UFH manifolds. A blocked door from the existing utility to the adjacent room needed resolving in the project; it was ultimately removed. A new main entrance provides a much better space to maximise wall and worktop space.

The existing shower room was rather bland, and our clients wanted to introduce some colour. They were keen to embrace a chinois theme, but they had adopted blue in other areas of the house, so we decided to go for a change and use green in the basement.

The tiles and wallpaper were the first items chosen, and everything worked back from there. Due to the floorplan layout, most rooms are visible together as you descend the stairs, so we suggested using different greens in each room to harmonise the basement together whilst adding individuality to each room. The bright shower room green adds a vibrant pop of colour at the end of the hall and compliments the colour of the utility room cabinets.

The playroom/tv room is painted in one pale green giving a sense of calmness, which extends out into the corridor joinery. A new parquet floor brings everything together, flowing from the corridor into the office and playroom.

Please get in touch if you are planning a basement extension or refurbishment. We are always happy to offer some advice.