Interior design

Interior designer mixes science with magic as he works with Cheshire housebuilder to create luxury show home

- 15 Oct 18

Families looking to settle down in a stylish home with bags of vibrancy should look no further than Bovis Homes’ Nantwich location, says one interior designer – and he has the science to back him up!

Jon Pilling, of Abode Interiors, said the housebuilder’s three-bedroom show home at its Pear Tree Meadows location in Cheshire would attract buyers with a taste for luxury.

And he took inspiration from a science centre in Cheshire, called Catalyst, for one of the children’s bedrooms.

Jon, who has worked in interior design for show homes for 18 years, said: “We wanted to create a lot of impact. Other show homes in the area are tasteful and match the countryside surroundings, and we wanted to go that bit further and do something different.

“We’ve made it really upmarket, cosy, smart and relaxed. The master bedroom is spacious and comfortable, the dining room is the hub of the house, where the family can eat, and the children can do their homework.

"The kitchen has lots of social space for friends and family, and the living room is like a retreat where you can close the curtains and get away from it all.

“In one of the children’s bedrooms, we’ve made it look like a science room, with themed wallpaper, a world globe and chemistry set. It’s fantastic to encompass culture from the local community.”

Jon has worked across the UK including London, Cambridge and Cheshire, and collaborated with Bovis Homes’ regional sales and marketing director Kate Burrow on the Sheringham show home.

The design director, who set up Warwickshire-based Abode Interiors three years ago and has worked with Bovis Homes since then, said the colour scheme added to the show home’s sense of luxury and comfort.

“We stuck to a palette of colours that was inviting but relaxed,” Jon said. “We’ve used blues and teal for vibrancy, they’re on-trend colours at the moment. It’s calm but impactful. The furniture and cool artwork also offer sophistication that matches that executive lifestyle.”

Jon worked with Kate to develop the design around Bovis Homes’ target market for the house type, which includes growing families.

The process takes around eight weeks from start to finish and Jon and Kate have aimed the Sheringham towards families looking to move into their second or third property, a home that they want to live in for ten to 20 years.

“Kate and I decide really early on what we’re going for, before any foundations have been laid,” Jon said. “We drive around the area and get a feel for the community and what people do in their spare time.

“The show home is then a showcase for the quality on offer. We create mood boards that are concise, clear – what you see is what you get – a sample of all the fabrics and colours, and is very much a proposition of the final product.

“It’s so fast-paced. We order the materials and furniture after a few weeks and it’s installed shortly after that. There are very few industries where you can be creative day after day.”

He added Bovis Homes stood out from other housebuilders and feedback had been very positive from house hunters wanting to move to the Pear Tree Meadows location.

“We’re pleased with the design of the show home,” he said. “Bovis Homes are great with interiors, they think about the house, impress people and make sure it sticks in their minds.”

Potential homebuyers will need to be quick if they want to purchase a three or five-bedroom home in Pear Tree Meadows’ first phase, as there are only six left.

Three and four-bedroom homes have been released as part of the location’s new phase, including the three-bedroom Sheringham house type.