Part of a larger home extension project, my clients new boot room is located at the side of their home with doors leading through to the back garden and to the driveway. The brief was for plenty of storage for their young boys many muddy boots and somewhere to sit to put said boots on. The boot room needs to be hardwearing and take the scrapes of everyday family life, yet the room should still have style and a clear identity that makes it a pleasure to use and visit.
Working from the architects plans it was clear that a corner arrangement would be the best use of space for the cabinetry. Here we have a large floor to ceiling cupboard, pigeon hole shelving (which will hold baskets to store items such as scarves and gloves and a bench with under seat storage. The cabinetry has a traditional shaker style design which compliment the units in the connecting utility room, finished in Dark French Grey by Little Greene and Dowsing and Reynolds brass handles. A panelled wall with Shaker pegs runs behind the seating offering plenty of space to hang coats.
The clients wanted a nod towards country chic and this Stag Toile Wallpaper by Little Greene was the perfect choice. It’s monochrome tones and detailed pattern creates drama yet feels grounded and balanced in the space. Vintage style wall lights with a bronze finish run the length of the boot room and help to illuminate the detail in the wallpaper.
I have to apologise now for my terrible photography skills, it really doesn’t do this boot room any justice at all! Here you can see the detail of the reclaimed terracotta floor tiles by Bert and May which the builders painstakingly sealed before laying! My client didn’t want a deep red terracotta but instead enjoyed the natural hues and pattina of the reclaimed terracotta which has a much softer appearance. The half panelled wall brings a rich aubergine colour splash with Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal and for me the star of the show has to be the large milk glass school house pendant light which brings the whole scheme together.