The house itself is a grand Victorian period property in a prestigious residential area in Cardiff, Wales.  The owners are previous clients so they were confident in using Yvonne Jones and Chameleon Interiors to oversee and install all the interior design work on their new home.

It was reconfigured internally; this included removing the back part of the building, opening up the space to introduce a large, light fitted open plan family area and installing a new master bedroom suite.

Wherever possible all period details were restored or replaced in the main part of the house.  The colour palette throughout was intentionally restrained and based around grey, silver and neutral tones which all act as a backdrop to the strong coloured furniture.

For the entrance hallway we used the original black and white restored tiled floors with a carpet stair runner with a border pattern.  The custom made console made in Chameleon’s own workroom was covered in luxurious Pierre Frey fabric along with co-ordinating Pierre Frey fabrics for the stools and chairs. The hallway lanterns and lamps are from Vaughan Designs.

The clients wanted the formal sitting room located at the front of the house to be a quiet room; this is a busy family home and the clients wanted a quiet retreat.  This room is at the darker side of the house so we installed mirrors on either side of the fireplace to reflect optimum light so even on the darkest of days the room doesn’t feel dull and cold.  Grey velvet sofas, grey silk curtains and silk rug exude luxury and comfort.  Black custom made chests link in with the black slate and marble fire surround.  While the oversized pressed glass and the convex medallion mirror intensify the restrained opulence of the scheme.

Chameleon managed to squeeze in a small study/desk area at the back of the hallway just before you enter the open plan family area.  The desk, custom made by Chameleon’s own joinery team is covered in a Barbara Barry Kravet fabric.

The open plan family area comprises of a TV/Snug area with wrap around sectional seating, large neutral marble kitchen and very large dining area overlooking the garden.  Large expanses of wall were covered in mirror to accentuate the light, scale and space.  Blackened oak flooring gives it a warmer, more homely feel and grounds the design here. Porta Romana pendants hang low over the kitchen island and overscaled 3.5 metre Porada glass dining table.

With four children and a few pets the clients needed an uncluttered and spacious environment for the bedrooms, while as the same time they didn’t want to compromise on practical luxury and style.

The master bedroom suite is quite compact, a run of three rooms; neat bedroom using simple voiles and Rubelli silks combined with Chameleon ‘signature’ mirror walling and reflective Porada and Julian Chichester furniture, a walk-in, practical dressing room and marble clad bathroom.  Sliding opaque glass doorways were installed in this area to ease use of the space.

The children’s bedrooms spread over two floors and all needed practical study areas incorporated into the space and follow our neutral grey toning colour scheme.

The clients were thrilled with their new home and love each and every space we designed.