The perfect marriage of classic and contemporary style within a stunning space masterfully reconfigured for modern living has won c Tx Design Group the overall win for Residential Interior Design in this year’s awards.
The clients were looking to purchase a new home and invited c Tx to
view this beautiful, but certainly dated, second-storey unit at Tanglewood to discuss a face-lift. “We agreed that the house had all the bones
to be a stunning home, but just needed a bit of work to bring out
the beauty,” said interior designer Lauren Grayston. The owners—a
husband and wife who hail from the U.K. but have lived in Bermuda for
the past 20 years—were looking for “a contemporary new space that respected the grandeur and history of the original house,” said Grayston.
With an incredible Great Sound view, luxuriously high ceilings and
beautiful crown mouldings to work with, the designer set her sights on
maximising the inherent natural beauty of the 2,000-square-foot space
while making the home livable for the new owners. “[ The unit] was
very traditionally decorated with dark wood cabinetry and travertine
tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen,” explained Grayston. “The main
floors were carpeted in yellow carpet and the walls were yellow with
off-white moldings. The kitchen was located in the southeast corner of
the house, separated from the main living area. The living room, which
has stunning views of the Great Sound, was closed off by two walls that
ran down the centre of the unit. Overall it felt a bit dark and in need of
an update.”
Interior renovations included opening up the walls that ran down
the centre of the house in order to access the view from the entire main
living space; moving the kitchen to the entrance of the unit; creating a
new combined dining area within the kitchen; adding a new entry door
in the kitchen; creating a new bathroom and bedroom (doubling as the
husband’s study) where the old kitchen was; and adding a new walk-in
closet, complete with washer and dryer, in the master suite. Throughout
the entire unit, the flooring was replaced, bathrooms were reconfigured
with all new fixtures, tile and lighting, and all new electrical window
and door blinds were installed. Elements retained included the ceilings,
crown mouldings, architraves, window mouldings and sills, interior
doors and two Waterford crystal chandeliers.
Striking the balance between cosy and sleek, the new, modern kitch-
en is a highlight of the main central living space. Grayston describes it
as such: “The kitchen is contemporary with high-gloss white and matt
charcoal grey flat paneled custom cabinetry with integrated appliances
and charcoal grey walls with white mouldings that pop. The custom-
made reclaimed dining island top and wood panels over the range
Left: The kitchen features a
built in dining island. Above:
The stunning original crown
moldings were highlighted
using charcoal grey paint on
the ceilings and walls. Below:
The wife’s office/guest room
features a marble desktop.
