Tiptoe Builders' Carpentry

Take a look at these bespoke built-in wardrobes we just completed for a client in Maida Vale. Our tradesmen equipped these floor-to-ceiling cupboards with a simple push to open mechanism, ensuring no slamming doors and an eye-pleasing uniform appearance.

Retrouvius

We mentioned the design store Retrouvius in our autumn newsletter. Over the summer, we hand-laid more than 1,200 mosaic tiles from this reclamation and design store for a client's splashback.  

Based in West London, the Retrouvius store is filled with a carefully curated selection of architectural and homeware gems. From lighting to door handles and columns and flooring, there are so many interesting and exciting pieces collected and sold by Retrouvius. It's perfect for finding that unique item for your home.

We also love their motto, "bridging the gap from destruction to construction."

If you can't make it their warehouse just yet, you can view many of their items online. Here are a few pieces we liked from their website:

 (All photos via Retrouvius website)

Home inspiration in Queen's Park

We enjoyed this peek into the home of Iris fashion boutique owner, Sarah Claassen. Located in Queens Park (NW6), the home was completely refurbished. Building work included a reconfigured layout, new walls, floors, ceilings, and a two-storey extension into the garden. 

You'll see the use of black walls and floorboards, a colour that most people overlook as too dark and harsh for a family home. Sarah manages to soften the black, using Farrow & Ball's Off-Black and contrasting the colour with restored white ceiling roses and cornicing, and gorgeous plaster heads—one of the few original features that could be saved in the house.

The flooring is Engineered Character Oak, with a black stair runner, bringing all the elements together.

What do you think of Sarah's home? Would you consider using black or off-black as a main colour in your home? 

(All images scanned via LivingEtc, May 2011.)

Lacanche range cookers

Recently, one of our clients bought a Lacanche range cooker for a gorgeous kitchen we refurbished. If you haven't heard of this French brand, Lacanche stoves are "serious cookers for serious cooks". These range cookers have been produced for more than 200 years in the Burgundian countryside in France and they are well-respected among the elite cooking crowd.

What's so special about Lacanche?  Each range cooker is bespoke and made to order by hand—Yes, hand! The Lacanche customer specifies everything for these cookers, from the hob and oven types to the duel fuel options, enamel finishes and the various trims.

It's no surprise then, that some of Britain's most famous cooks like Delia Smith, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingtall and Lloyd Grossman, are proud owners of Lacanche range cookers too.

We had a go at creating our very own dream Lacanche cooker. Head on over to the website and build your own as well.

Kindle Stoves

We recently popped into Kindle Stoves and we're immediately charmed with their London shop of wood-burning stoves. You'll spot the Danish-made, Morso and Rais stoves, below. Kindle Stoves is a family run business with locations in London, Bristol and Bath.  

Cast Iron Radiators in London

We recently fitted traditional-style cast iron radiators in a Maida Vale building project. The radiators looked beautiful and complimented the refurbished flat wonderfully. The radiators are a bit pricey, but worth the style they bring to a practical, necessary item such as radiators.

Available from Paladin Radiators.