The Cromwell Apartment
A tired rental, turned into
a home and an investment.
A two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the tenth floor of a modern development, bought by a family as both an investment and a home for their daughter, a young international student who lives there with her best friend and a small dog.
Years as a rental had left it tired and worn. The kitchen was short of worktop and its appliances did not suit her, a dark patterned floor made the open-plan room feel heavy and unbalanced, and the bedroom carpets were impractical with a dog.
Her home now, and still
easy to sell later.
A modern, practical upgrade that would add value to the property while reflecting her own needs and style.
Those two goals pulled against each other. She loved earthy colours, soothing sage green above all, but a buyer might not. The answer was a warm neutral base that keeps the apartment’s appeal for future buyers, with her colours brought in through accessories and wall art she can change whenever she wants a change.
Neutral, warm, and built
around the window.
A minimal scheme in warm neutral tones throughout, with pale timbers as the hero material so the light and the sense of space flow from room to room.
- The open plan turned round. The living space was reoriented to put the dining area in front of the apartment’s show-stopping window and the TV in a more practical spot.
- Furniture made for the new layout. A dining bench with hidden storage and a wall-hung media unit, designed for those exact positions so both areas work hard without crowding the room.
- Pale timber throughout. Light oak for the media unit and warm teak for the bathroom vanities, tying the rooms together with the same tactile warmth.
- The problems from the rental years. The short kitchen worktop, the unsuitable appliances, the heavy patterned floor and the dog-unfriendly carpets were all on the list the refurbishment set out to fix.
Designing for a resident and a future buyer at once is usually a compromise. Keeping the fixed elements neutral and the personal ones movable meant neither had to give way: she gets the colour she loves, and the apartment keeps its value.
How this project ran.
The client was based in East Asia and could not be there for the refurbishment, so she chose our Premium room makeovers, which gave her a clear picture of the finished apartment through colour floor plans and 2D elevations. Once the design was signed off, our post-design project management took over: managing the project, coordinating deliveries, sending her digital progress reports and making sure the contractor built the design accurately.
If you are buying or renovating a property you cannot be at, this is the model. Book a free fifteen minute call and we will tell you how much of it you need.
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