2018 | An award-winning year

Posted by Bath Bespoke on 21 December 2018

As we sign off the for the festive season we’re looking back on our award-winning year and thought we’d share some of our highlights from 2018.

We’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to work in beautiful properties with talented designers and architects to bring really special concepts to life and offer up unique design options. This year has brought house renovations with exacting standards, a library with a hidden secret, elegant and intelligent kitchen solutions and even a magnificent wine wall…

An opulent wine wall

Bespoke wine wall — Photograph: Billy Bolton | Designer collaboration: Mia Marquez

The epitome of bespoke, this wine storage wall was designed in collaboration with Mia Marquez. Our client had a very keen interest in interiors, particularly hotel interiors, and we worked closely with her on the designs – shaping them into an opulent and functional domestic concept.

Walnut cabinets with glazed Accoya doors framed a central wine wall fitted with a series of solid brass display bars and an antique mirror effect wallpaper, finished with stunning a Nero Marquina stone worktop. Brass inlay detailing throughout complemented the Armac Martin solid brass handles on the front cabinet doors which were finished with fabric panels, while the top-level X designed units were meticulously designed to hold three bottles of wine per triangle. 128 bottles of wine in total can be displayed in this magnificent wine wall.

A library with a secret…

Library bookcase with secret door and ladder

Earlier in the year, we were commissioned by a family to draw up designs for new fitted furniture to compliment their Grade I listed townhouse.

This library was designed to house the house the family’s extensive book collection; nestled behind the existing Georgian pillars with a gliding staircase, this imposing bookcase featured a secret passage door to a small storage room behind with a bespoke pivot system to allow the door to open and close in place. Carefully created from Tulipwood and FSC Accoya and finished in Farrow and Ball Railings, we took our cue from the existing architecture and complimented the original Georgian mouldings with a modern take, using square edged mouldings whilst maintaining the proportions.

Classic, contemporary country kitchen

Traditional kitchen with a walnut island finished in Invisible Greene — **Photograph: Sean Ebsworth Barnes**

Working closely with our clients on this kitchen design we created a contemporary take on a classic style with plenty of practical storage for this hard-working, family kitchen.

Crown-cut walnut cabinets with solid walnut dovetailed drawers and Accoya door frames run the length of the space while a large, solid-wood island brings a focal point to the room. An integrated Fisher and Paykel fridge freezer (with trick hinges to allow for a flush finish with the cabinets), an under-mounted Shaws of Darwen sink and Everhot range cooker with a custom-designed pelmet with integrated extractor fan and spotlights (plus a wall-mounted Perrin & Rowe pot filler tap) complete the picture.

Bespoke storage solutions made to suit the family’s individual requirements included custom size drawers, extra tall larder cabinets, interchangeable, bespoke cutlery drawer dividing inserts, deep drawers and cupboards for pots and pans and tall cabinets with internal shelving for drinks and glassware.

The beginnings of an ambitious renovation

We began our working relationship with this very special Grade II listed manor house four years ago when we were approached by the owners to be part of this ambitious restoration project. Unloved for decades and having survived extensive flooding in the 1960s, this building was a substantial undertaking few would have tackled and consequently the clients who chose to take it on had exacting standards few joineries could meet. We were approached to be involved and took on the challenge.

With the aim of sympathetically reinstating the property to its original styling, we have helped to restore and replace some of the original Georgian windows, carefully copying and recreating the mouldings and original workings. Each window features single glazing conservation glass and thin Astragal bars and was fitted on site with an exacting attention to detail. Taking their cue from the property’s Georgian heritage, doors with panel detailing were custom-made, installed and finished. The classic, six-panel formation doors were handcrafted from Accoya, an environmentally-friendly, solid-wood ideal for demanding applications such as windows and doors and finished with cock bead detailing.

There’s more to come! Alongside the joinery, we’ll be working with this client in the new year to create a beautiful kitchen that will sit in the former servant’s quarters. Watch this space…

Have we mentioned we won the odd award this year?

We are incredibly proud of our recent award wins; they are an amazing acknowledgement of all the hard work put in by our dedicated team!

We were absolutely thrilled to be announced as the winner of the Kitchen and Interiors category at the Crumbs Awards in October.

We were pleased and really rather proud to win the Sustainable/Ethical Manufacturer Award in recognition of our sustainable, eco-friendly credentials at the Made in South West awards on 8th November.

Winning the ‘Supplier‘ category at the Bath Property Awards on Friday 23rd November was a fantastic way to round off the week!

This win was then swiftly followed by being crowned the ‘Creative Sector Business of the Year‘ at the Bath Chronicle Business Awards on Tuesday 27th November.

Talking of our dedicated team…

The Bath Bespoke team are a motivated and talented bunch who, without exception, take great pride in their work. Some of our team have a high level of expertise and some are just starting out on their journey, and this year we were joined by some brilliant new recruits in both the workshop and the studio…

Mark Jeffrey – Apprentice Cabinet Maker

Mark joined the team in the summer of 2018 as an apprentice cabinet maker. Originally from Leamington Spa, he moved to Bath to follow a career in tree surgery. After several years developing his skills on the job, he changed career and moved into woodworking – something he’s been passionate about since a young age. Alongside woodworking, Mark likes to play the drums in his spare time.

David Hood – Designer

David joined Bath Bespoke in 2018 as part of the design team. A graduate from the Royal College of Art, he went on to train and teach Design in Ireland and London before leaving education to get more involved in the design industry and follow his passion for designing and making. David maintains his own creative practice designing and making interior products inspired by nature and is a keen surfer in his spare time.