FEATURED PROJECTS
WHEN A SPACE FINDS ITS VOICE
Some clients arrive with a pinterest photo or a colour swatch. Others arrive with something deep inside them that demands to be given a voice.
When the conversation started, it seemed to be a pretty straightforward project: the front door will be refinished in colour - “perhaps a mustard yellow?” - and the balustrade’s wood will be restored and stained. We agreed to meet on-site for a colour consultation for the door and help choose the right stain for the balustrade. Choosing the colour for the door was easy. Since the client was set on a mustard yellow, we suggested one of our favourites: the India Yellow No. 66 from the Farrow & Ball collection. And just like that, the door was set. The balustrade, on the other hand, was another story.
The flat, which was being refurbished, was a blank canvas. White walls, terrazzo floors with their quiet constellation of marble chips, and no furniture to give us a hint of the clients’ taste or personality. Let the challenge begin. We talked about the furniture and decor for the space, trying to grasp the style and aesthetic our clients envisioned. We continued to discuss restoring the balustrade with a wood stain, but that option didn’t feel quite right. So we moved on to colours. We started with the usual classic suggestions, those that hit 80% of our clients. But after a few minutes, we realised that this project might be calling for something different.
We moved on to moody colours. This can be a tricky path: these colours are beautiful in essence, but they can be overpowering. And because of the layout of the apartment, the colour needed to pair perfectly with the yellow chosen for the door. This is where experience steps in. Pairing a deep, moody purple with a saturated mustard yellow is not an obvious combination, and not one most people would arrive at on their own. But we knew it could work. We pulled out Brinjal No. 222 from the Farrow & Ball collection and held it against the India Yellow, letting the clients see for themselves how the two colours spoke to each other. Brinjal is intricate and fascinating. It floats somewhere between a deep plum and a warm, dark purple-brown. As the light shifts during the day, the colour reveals itself: mysterious and elusive. Set next to the warmth of the India Yellow, something clicks. The yellow becomes richer, the purple becomes more alive.
By the end of the consultation, our clients were torn. On the one hand, Brinjal and its bold character, and on the other, a soft light grey drawn from the cooler tones already present in the terrazzo. The second was our safe option: blending the balustrade so that it doesn’t take prominence in the space, guaranteeing elegance and simplicity. After a couple of weeks, and upon the clients’ request, we returned on-site with our samples.
Once again, we discussed, tried, and compared. It was a tough dilemma. Light or dark. Blending in or standing out. A balustrade that recedes into the background, or one that becomes a quiet protagonist in the room. Both options had genuine merit, and that is the hardest place to be. We let time do its work, and finally the verdict came in: Brinjal it is!
We got to work. The job unfolded as planned, with the care and precision we are known for. When the clients went to see the finished work, the message we received said it all: "I am blown away. So happy with the bannister, you guys were absolutely right about the colour." That is the part that stays with us. Not the compliment itself, though that is always lovely to receive, but the confirmation that we read the project correctly from the start. That the colour the clients had not quite dared to commit to was, in fact, the one their home had been waiting for.
A few months later, we returned for a photoshoot, this time with the space fully furnished and lived-in. And honestly? It was our turn to be blown away. The Brinjal balustrade, the India Yellow door, the furniture, the layout, the way the light moves through the rooms. Each element carries its own identity, yet together they fit just right.
That is the magic of a great colour consultation. It is not really about the colour itself. It is about helping someone build a space that gives voice to what was already inside them.
BELONG
There are rooms that are etched forever into my mind’s private gallery: Virginia Woolf’s brilliant green bedroom at Monk’s House, Georgia O’Keefe’s modest and meditative kitchen in Abiquiú.
Each of these rooms holds something beyond design or style—they hum with life. A great room asks only that you belong. There is a kind of magic in a room like that—a place that allows you, for a moment, to consider the life you’ve lived and the one you might still create. In a world shaped by upheaval, that sense of sanctuary has, for many, become not just a luxury but a necessity.
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This panelled bedroom embodies that very philosophy, designed by Gianluca Callus of Vintage Conversions Ltd. and crafted by Futura Woodworks Ltd., creating a space where history and possibility seamlessly coexist. We find three hues reminiscent of the sun-kissed Maltese stone. Farrow & Ball’s Joas White No. 226 serves as a foundation, its soft, creamy undertones offering a bright and airy embrace. Farrow & Ball’s London Stone No. 6, applied on the kickboard and top frame, echoes the rich, earthy tones of the land. Farrow & Ball’s Oxford Stone No. 264, used for the panel frames, evokes the smooth textures of warm, sun-baked earth and the natural beauty of Maltese stone. Farrow & Ball’s Pink Cup No. 9801, a subtle, blush tone, brings a playful separation to the mouldings. The harmony among the different tones was crafted through a blend of spray painting and hand finishing. Each technique intertwines beautifully, enriching the texture and depth of these warm neutrals.
MEANT TO BE
There’s something quite magical about working with a craftsman who understands both the heart and the hands of a home. Each curve of wood, each carefully measured cut seemed to hum with warmth. It’s always a joy to work with Francois Van Zyl owner of FV Carpentry who sees beyond the blueprint, who makes a home more than just a space.
When it comes to selecting the perfect colour combinations, that’s where we step in—armed with swatches, samples, and a few well-timed suggestions. Whether it’s a kitchen cabinet door or a fabric swatch, we bring along little pieces of the vision so clients can see it come to life in front of them. Once the colours are set, we take care of the finishing touches. Thereafter, it's simply a matter of working with the client to schedule the installation and watch their vision come to life.
This project had cabinet doors with a 30-degree chamfer—an angle so slight, but it changes everything, adds an intricacy that complicates the simplicity in a way that feels intentional. Quote from Francois: “The VB team handled the preparation with an ease that hides its difficulty, that masks just how much expertise is required.”
And the result? Something more than just a beautifully finished product—something that feels as if it was meant to be in that space all along.
The coating process begins with the sealer, a delicate, translucent layer that primes the surface, much like the careful crafting of a first sentence. The undercoat follows, thick and uneven, until the sanding smooths it into something you can work with, something that hints at completion. Then, the guiding coat, a contrasting colour, revealing every flaw, every imperfection, making them stark and unavoidable. Only then can the first finishing coat take its place, a provisional version of the final thought, honed through the work of fine sanding. Finally, the last coat lands—immaculate and gleaming, yet still carrying within it the subtle trace of all that came before.
Introducing clients to the world of whites is rather like introducing them to a secret language. At first, they might not see it—the gentle distinctions, the whispers of warmth, the cool aloofness— but then, gradually, it becomes clear.
There’s the pristine brightness of a snowy morning, crisp and almost biting, the kind of white that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into a lush hotel room where everything is spotless and new. Then there’s the buttery softness of cream, rich and inviting, like sinking into a velvet armchair with a well-loved book. Between those extremes, there are whispers of grey, hints of blue, touches of linen that make a room feel calm and considered. Each shade transforms as the day unfolds, shifting from cool to warm, just like a conversation deepening as the hours pass. What starts as a sterile ‘white’ becomes the anchor of the room, a quiet but certain elegance that carries the space through morning coffee, afternoon naps, and candlelit dinners. It’s not just about choosing a colour; it’s about finding a feeling. And when it clicks, it feels as if that particular shade of white had always belonged there.
