Timeless, Inspired, Elegant design by O'Neil Architecture
Trendy exterior home photo in Christchurch

Bell Rock Hideaway at Kinkell Byre was designed as a warm, welcoming and beautifully considered guest lodge for the St Andrews wedding venue. The brief was to create a relaxed yet elevated retreat that would feel comfortable, memorable and practical for guests, while still reflecting the character of its coastal setting and the rustic charm of Kinkell Byre. The design brings together natural textures, rich grounding tones and carefully layered details to create a boutique experience. In the open-plan kitchen, living and dining space, warm timber, garnet-toned cabinetry, soft stone flooring and relaxed woven textures create a calm and inviting backdrop. Deep red upholstery, blue armchairs, natural rugs, rustic timber furniture and generous planting add depth, warmth and on brand personality. The bedrooms were designed to feel restful and quietly luxurious, with soft neutral textiles, textured curtains, warm timber pieces, rattan lighting and subtle red accents. In the twin bedroom, a painted shiplap headboard wall creates a strong focal point, adding character and definition while keeping the overall scheme calm and welcoming. The result is a timeless, comfortable and atmospheric hideaway that balances practicality with thoughtful design. A space created for gathering, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of its St Andrews setting.

Our brief in this design was to create an elegant modern dining room in an upmarket home. The space is used for formal dining and entertaining guests. We used a neutral colour palette consisting of rich caramel browns, gold, grey, black and white. The overall feel of the space is comfortable, but distinguished.

Client: Private Residence In London Brief: To supply & install carpet to stairs close-covered
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Client: Private Residence In North London Brief: To supply & install carpet to stairs
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Client: Private Residence In South London Brief: To supply & install Amtico grey wood flooring to premises
Example of a living room design in London

We are delighted to have completed the radical transformation of a tired detached property in South Croydon. When they appointed Granit, our clients were living in the property which had previously been divided into a number of flats. The historic sub-division had resulted in an extremely poor use of space with redundant staircases, kitchens and bathrooms throughout. Our clients sought to reconfigure the property back into a single dwelling for his growing family. Our client had an eye for design and was keen to balance contemporary design whilst maintaining as much of the character of the original house. Maximising natural light, space and establishing a visual and physical connection were also key drivers for the design. Owing to the size of the property, it became apparent that reconfiguration rather than extension provided the solution to meet the brief. A metal clad ‘intervention’ was introduced to the rear facade. This created a strong horizontal element creating a visual balance with the vertical nature of the three storey gable. The metal cladding specified echoed the colour of the red brick string courses tying old with new. Slender frame sliding doors provide access and views of the large garden. The central circulation space was transformed by the introduction of a double height glazed slot wrapping up the rear facade and onto the roof. This allows daylight to permeate into the heart of the otherwise dark deep floor plan. The staircase was reconfigured into a series of landings looking down over the main void space below and out towards the tree canopies at the rear of the garden. The introduction of double pocket doors throughout the ground floor creates a series of interconnected spaces and the whitewashed Larch flooring flows seamlessly from room to room. A bold palette of colours and materials lends character and texture throughout the property. The end result is a spacious yet cosy environment for the family to inhabit for years to come.

For this project the clients wanted a vacation home for frequent entertaining and family gatherings; a home that was as comfortable as a lodge for large numbers of people or as cozy as a bungalow for a couple’s weekend getaway. They also needed the house to fit an odd shaped lot situated at the end of a peninsula overlooking the lake, with a steep drop-off into the lake. The resulting home is as unique as the needs of the client. A brief list of features: - Adjacent full guest quarters over the three bay garage - Every bedroom has a walkout balcony including the second floor guest bedrooms. Second floor and guest suites have balconies with lake view. - Covered loggia connects both buildings (1 - main home and 2 - indoor pool, guest quarters, home gym and 3 bay garage) - Covered loggia contains double-sided fireplace, gourmet outdoor kitchen, and full dining and seating areas - Indoor pool and home gym exercise area - Outdoor Pool has an infinity edge waterfall that drops to a catch basin on either side of the sculpture pedestal (the furthermost point) and is recycled back up into the pool. - Sunken hot tub within outdoor pool - Exterior features copper roofing, shake siding, stone and multiple gable brackets - End roof pergola with glass panels allows sun to shine through into indoor pool area - Full basement - Wrap around deck - Built-in plant containers surrounding outdoor pool area

This family throws some mean parties where large crowds usually sit at the poolside. There’s an entire section of this walk out second level that is dedicated to entertaining which also gives access to the pool in the backyard. This place comes alive at night with built in surround sounds and LED lights. There was just one issue. The kitchen. The kitchen did not fit in. It was old, outdated, out-styled and nonfunctional. They knew the kitchen had to be address eventually but they just didn’t want to redo the kitchen. They wanted to revamp the kitchen, so they asked us to come in and look at the space to see how we can design this second floor kitchen in their New Rochelle home. It was a small kitchen, strategically located where it could be the hub that the family wanted it to be. It held its own amongst everything that was in the open space like the big screen TV, fireplace and pool table. That is exactly what we did in the design and here is how we did it. First, we got rid of the kitchen table and by doing so we created a peninsular. This eventually sets up the space for a couple of really cool pendant lights, some unique counter chairs and a wine cooler that was purchased before but never really had a home. We then turned our attention to the range and hood. This was not the main kitchen, so wall storage wasn’t the main goal here. We wanted to create a more open feel interaction while in the kitchen, hence we designed the free standing chimney hood alone to the left of the window. We then looked at how we can make it more entertaining. We did that by adding a Wine rack on a buffet style type area. This wall was free and would have remained empty had we not find a way to add some more glitz. Finally came the counter-top. Every detail was crucial because the view of the kitchen can be seen from when you enter the front door even if it was on the second floor walk out. The use of the space called for a waterfall edge counter-top and more importantly, the stone selection to further accentuate the effect. It was crucial that there was movement in the stone which connects to the 45 degree waterfall edge so it would be very dramatic. Nothing was overlooked in this space. It had to be done this way if it was going to have a fighting chance to take command of its territory. Have a look at some before and after photos on the left and see a brief video transformation of this lovely small kitchen. See more photos and vidoe of this transformation on our website @ http://www.rajkitchenandbath.com/portfolio-items/kitchen-remodel-new-rochelle-ny-10801/

Beechwood sits on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Oxfordshire. Employing high-quality materials, simple detailing and robust forms, the design produced a contemporary and sustainable home appropriate to its context. The materials used in the project push conventional design boundaries but sit together harmoniously in the woodland setting. Blue/black engineering brickwork combine with pre-weathered Corten steel cladding, enabling the house to bleed into the landscape. Implementing energy saving solutions was integral to the success of this project and was a key part of the client brief. The design followed best practice in nine categories of sustainable design: energy and CO2 emissions, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and wellbeing, management and ecology. Beechwood achieved a Level 4 certificate under The Code for Sustainable Homes.

It’s rare when a client comes to me with a brief for a complete home from scratch, but that is exactly what happened here. My client, a professional musician and singer, was having a luxury three-story condo built and wanted help choosing not only all the hardscape materials like tile, flooring, carpet, and cabinetry, but also all furniture and furnishings. I even outfitted his new home with plates, flatware, pots and pans, towels, sheets, and window coverings. Like I said, this was from scratch! We defined his style direction for the new home including dark colors, minimalistic furniture, and a modern industrial sensibility, and I set about creating a fluid expression of that style. The tone is set at the entry where a custom laser-cut industrial steel sign requests visitors be shoeless. We deliberately limited the color palette for the entire house to black, grey, and deep blue, with grey-washed or dark stained neutral woods. The navy zellige tiles on the backsplash in the kitchen add depth between the cement-textured quartz counters and cerused cabinetry. The island is painted in a coordinating navy and features hand-forged iron stools. In the dining room, horizontal and vertical lines play with each other in the form of an angular linear chandelier, lighted acrylic light columns, and a dining table with a special faceted wave edge. Chair backs echo the shape of the art maps on the wall. We chose a unique, three dimensional wall treatment for the living room where a plush sectional and LED tunable lights set the stage for comfy movie nights. Walls with a repeating whimsical black and white whale skeleton named Bruce adorn the walls of the powder room. The adjacent patio boasts a resort-like feeling with a cozy fire table, a wall of up-lit boxwoods, and a black sofa and chairs for star gazing. A gallery wall featuring a roster of some of my client’s favorite rock, punk, and jazz musicians adorns the stairwell. On the third floor, the primary and guest bathrooms continue with the cement-textured quartz counters and same cerused cabinetry. We completed this well-appointed home with a serene guest room in the established limited color palette and a lounge/office/recording room. All photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Making a real impression by designing & building with exceptional people is exactly the effect JL Design & the client as owner-builder have achieved with “Scarborough House” in Scarborough, NSW. The brief required the dwelling to take maximum advantage of stunning views over the ocean & nearby escarpment cliffs. The residence was also to be a contemporary modernist four bedroom family dwelling, maximising built external living & pool areas. The client was extensively involved with the overall design, & carried out material selection, interior detailing and selection of fixtures and fittings. This collective method guaranteed a result where the client as the builder, through continued personal investment throughout the design and construction achieved a stunning result. The concrete, steelwork, windows, timber & various forms of cladding, joinery and concealed lighting are all custom made hand crafted elements. The design called for minimal tolerances, requiring a high level of skill and cooperation between trades. “Scarborough House” features BlueScope Colorbond monument matt ribbed wall cladding with rendered & ‘rendered look’ areas in off-white. A vertical feature hardwood timber screen to the side of the entry softens the ‘industrial’ feel, giving a modernist external appearance. Carefully calculated overhangs allow a passive solar solution to heating & cooling, with efficient reverse-cycle air conditioning required only during weather extremes. Internally, timber floors to the upper living areas give a feel of comfort & warmth. The warm, substantial character of the dwelling is carefully composed by means of the clarity of the detailing, a palette of tactical natural materials and the careful manipulation of light.

Client: Private Residence In South London Brief: To supply & install sisal herringbone carpet to rooms
Living room - rustic living room idea in London

The site was 10 acres bordering a 15 acre lake. The clients were convinced by a business partner to move 10 miles west of town and share the lake he was excavating. They quickly became very excited about the emerging design, preliminary drawings were never finished, working drawings were brief and details were sketchy. Fortunately a favorite contractor with a gifted crew was available and all were OK with working it out as we went along. Several more rooms and outbuildings were added during construction. After the excitement of building and furnishing was over they found themselves unhappy with the isolation and by 1975 had sold the house to Malnik. In 1979 we began renovations and additions to the buildings and site that continued non-stop for 7 years. Again I had the luxury of the same building team, plus a very creative new client who never ran out of ideas for things to do. First stables for 20 horses and a recreation building which included 2 bowling alleys, squash court, weight gym, game room and a boat house. Then a 90' square & 30' high screened space frame that enclosed a swimming pool with 3 guest houses and a free form "cave" structure arranged around the four sides. Next a riding ring and viewing pavilion, and when 25 more acres were acquired the lake was extended into a series of waterways and the entrance was moved to the opposite side of the property, which resulted in a long meandering entrance road passing over three bridges. A new entrance building was fitted between the space frame and the recreation building. The last project was a 3000 sq. ft. master bedroom, bath and gallery addition to the main house completed in 1992. The entire complex was demolished in 2005 by a high end residential developer as Boca Raton had moved seriously westward.

Client: Private Residence In South London Brief: To supply & install beige carpet to stairs
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Client: Private Residence In West London Brief: To supply & install grey carpet to stairs
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A couple took ownership of their new residence on a top floor of a quiet street in central Lisbon. Our studio’s brief was to transform the duplex into a hideaway to detach from daily life and spend quality time with visiting relatives. The design manifests family-focused features: upon entry, there is plentiful storage for shoes and coats; in the main living room, a custom island crafted in solid surface extends the compact kitchen into the social area, seamlessly bridging cooking and convivial gatherings. A buffet supports more elaborate meals. Sculptural pendants and niches that accentuate horizontal continuity favor interaction between the dining and flexible lounge areas. Reimagined with durable materials, the bathrooms embrace efficiency and elegance. Cabinetry is integrated around the planes of countertops and insets carried across the room. Dark wood and textured accents punctuate the white surfaces, grounding the spaces in tactile warmth. The bedrooms, designed for adaptability, offer separable sleeping arrangements, peaceful workspaces, and versatile wardrobe solutions. The light-toned furniture and organic elements are tailored to the interior, softening the contrasting architectural palette and rectilinear forms. Soothing accent lighting is interwoven throughout, offering an adaptable, serene atmosphere.

This single family home that was once used as a rental for university students was completely renovated with a new addition and transformed into a highly optimized haven for a family of four. The brief was modern but colorful!

Client: Private Residence In London Brief: To supply & install carpet to stairs as runner
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional carpeted floating metal railing staircase remodel in London with carpeted risers