thebedsidetablesinthemasterbedroom,crafted
inSomersetfromEnglishwalnutandleather.
Theclientsowna fewkeypiecesthattheywere
keentointegrate,includingtheoilpaintinginthe
drawingroom.‘Itreallysetthetoneforthepalette
here,’saysKatie,pointingoutthesofawhichwas
reupholsteredinbluevelvettopickoutthepainting’s
inkyhues,andfinishedwitha wonderfullyindulgent
bullionfringe.‘Theownerlovesdetailingsuchas
tasselsandgoldleafwhileherhusbandfavours
cleanlines– it wasa caseofcreatingschemes that
perfectlyreflectedboththeirDNA.’
A goodexampleofthisis thenewkitchen.The
husbandis a keencookandwantedit fittedwith
professionalkit,whilehiswifedidn’twantculinary
equipmenttodominate.SoKatieandHenry
designedthelargeislandtoresemblea pieceof
furniture,withburrwalnuttotemperitsindustrial
steelframe,andupholstereddiningchairsinjoyous
botanicalfabricsbyJosefFrank.Lampshadesover
thetableinpaper-thinplasteraddanetherealtouch.
WhattheownersparticularlylovedaboutKatie
andHenryis thatthey‘dodetail’andtheattention
toeveryfinerpointinthisprojectis impressive.For
example,thesateenwoolcurtainsinthemaster
bedroomfeaturedelicatehand-embroideredborders
ofmetallicthreads,whileinthedrawingroom,the
acousticsareimprovedwithfabric-battenedwalls.
Thechildren’sroomsfeaturecleverdetails,froma
strikingfreestandingheadboardfora daughterwho
likesa boutique-hotelaesthetic,tomicromosaics
madefromground-upTVscreensfora tech-savvy
son’sshowerroom.‘Theprojecttookthebestpartof
20 monthsfromtheinitialdesigntomovingbackin
andbythispointthechildrenwereyoungadults,’
saysKatie.‘Wetookcaretoanticipatethischange
withslightlymorematuredesigns.’Itlooksasif this
house has been future-proofed for years to come.&T
hisis theclassictaleofa home
thathadserveditsownerswellfor
15 years.But,nowthatthechildren
werefinishingschoolorstarting
university,itslayoutanddecorhadfallenfrom
favour.Althoughgenerousinsize,muchofthe
Victorianhousewasn’tbeingused,notablythe
formaldrawingroomaswellastheplayroominthe
basement.Andthechildren’sroomsonthetoplevel,
whichwereonceperfectlybijou,nowfeltcramped.
WhentheownersapproachedKatieGlaisterand
HenryMiller-RobinsonofK&HDesign,theycame
equippedwitha lengthybrief.‘Itincludedinput
fromallthreechildrenand,indirectly,thedog,’Katie
recalls.‘Theywantedtousethewholehouseandnot
simplyliveinthekitchen,andtheyneededa home
thatwouldbecomfortablefortwo, but would expand
witheaseduringtheholidays.’
Thefamily’srequirementsputKatieandHenry’s
spatialplanningskillstothetest.Forthekitchen,
a tiredconservatorywasreplacedwitha brick
extensionwithCrittalldoorsthatleadontothe
garden,whilethemasterbedroomabovewas
extendedtocreatea luxurioussuite.Onthetopfloor,
a largerooflanternwassacrificedinfavourofa new
mezzaninebedroom,freeingupspaceforen-suite
bathroomsandstorageforeachchild.Thebasement,
too,wascarefullyreconfigured:theceilingheight
wasraisedtocreatea sociablemediaandgames
room,aswellasa gym,showerroomandutilityarea.
KatieandHenrycreateluxurious,layeredschemes
withanemphasisonthebespoke,andtheowners
werekeentotapintotheiraddressbookofskilled
craftsmen.‘Theyparticularlywantedtochampion
Britishartisanswherepossible,andinvestin
heirloom-qualitypieces,’explainsHenry,citingas
examplestheexquisiteantiquedmirror-glasspanels
in the drawing room made in Shropshire, as well asINSPIRATIONHOMESANDGARDENS.COM 79