We asked Hannah and Ben about their experience working with Granit on refurbishing their family home in Richmond. We thank them for their kind words below.
We had worked with Granit before on another project when we did a full renovation and a basement conversion. We were very happy with their design work, and so we decided to work with them again on our new project. This time, it was more of a big interior design job as it involved less structural work to the building, although we worked with both Vicki on the interiors and James and Emily on the architectural side. They also designed our new garden room.
It felt like a very collaborative experience, especially working with Vicki, who took the time to really get us and work out what suited our style. By the end of the project, Vicki always knew so well what we wanted. We always picked what Vicki recommended, and the result has been fantastic. Our home is so beautiful, and everyone always compliments us. Vicki is great at riffing on an idea and coming up with something better.
We also asked Granit for help with the lighting design. It’s the first time we’ve worked with a lighting designer, and it wasn’t in the original brief, but it’s been transformational. More than any other choices we have made, it has had such a beautiful impact. We have uplighters and custom lighting to highlight pictures, artwork and different features of the house. Vicki helped us with the choice of light fittings, too.
We’re busy people but found engaging with James and Vicki very easy. We had a fixed weekly meeting to keep the project on track, and the level of senior interaction meant that if we ever got stuck, we’d just hop on a call to sort things out quickly. That senior input was very helpful. Ben is a real stickler for details and has very high standards; the regular calls helped with this.
The garden was the most challenging part of the project, but our garden and garden room are so beautiful. The garden is a tricky, odd shape, but everything is aligned to the house and works well. My favourite part is probably the library room; I wanted it to feel like a library, and it does. The kids obviously love the TV room, and Ben’s favourite spot is the spiral wine cellar. I love sitting and looking out over the garden and the pool.
There are some really clever bits of design, like the floating staircase, which boxes in and hides the uglier original stairs. The lighting design makes a big difference on the stairs as well.
We’ve worked with Granit twice now and would definitely do it a third time (not that we will do another project). We wouldn’t shop around; we’d just go straight to James and Vicki.
On the whole, Ben and I are hugely positive about the experience. We feel like the Granit team was committed to the job and wanted a positive outcome. We 100% wouldn’t have achieved such a great result without Granit. They really have helped us realise our vision, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. We love going home.
