Open House in East Molesey
Above: Where once there was a dated old bungalow now there is an attractive, modern home
W hilst this column has been blessed with some fantastic interiors over the years, I can think of more than a few proud homeowners who would confess a longing for an exterior that’s easier on the eye, or perhaps a more functional room layout, however stunning the décor. Maybe when faced with this scenario in the future, we should take inspiration from Philippe and Leela Basset who are already showing the incipient signs of becoming serial developers and ones not afraid of the wrecking ball...
“Walking down Vine Road, in East Molesey, we happened to spot a ‘for sale’ sign buried in a dense hedge and discovered an overgrown bungalow,” says Philippe. “We quickly realised, once we had macheted our way into the garden, that this was a magnificent plot with lovely mature fruit and walnut trees – we immediately thought, ‘bingo’! We can demolish the bungalow, and build something completely original for ourselves. Nine months later, we had created a contemporary house on four floors including a basement.”
Double trouble... But this isn’t the thrust of this month’s story. As soon as the project was underway, the couple were offered a second development opportunity that they just couldn’t turn down. “As we were beginning to lay the foundations, our neighbour leaned over the fence and said wistfully, ‘I wish you had bought my bungalow’,” continues Philippe. “We looked at each other and a nanosecond later said, ‘we’ll have it’. So we were soon off on another adventure to design and build another house on a similar scale to ours but with the challenge of making it different but complementary in terms of design.”
The couple both work in television, so their day job is more about script development than property development, and yet they have taken on some really daunting aspects of both projects.
“We have never employed an architect and have derived a real joy from taking a clean sheet of paper and evolving a design from scratch,” says Philippe. “We start by considering the character of the location – we are positively not into ‘retro’, but we do look for local cues that may help us to harmonise the design. Other influences that are integral to our aesthetic ethos are continental European and Scandinavian design, as well as aspects of Australian and American schools, especially in the use of colour.”
Like many people featured in this column, they believe the design process should begin at the heart of the house.
“We start by creating a large kitchen/family room – we love to cook and believe the activity should always face into the room, so an island kitchen is a must,” says Philippe. “This space gets the most use and should provide a terrific ‘wow’ factor. We also try to use glass structures, and in this case, a dining area with a garden view and with a lantern roof feature. We took the trouble of making the ceiling follow the roofline up to the lantern – the builders hated us for this and there was much cursing and head scratching – but the result is wonderful.”
A switch of plan... Despite the rapidity with which both properties were completed, the couple did face one stumbling block along the way.
“We have been incredibly fortunate that we have excellent relationships with suppliers and contractors so we have had few problems – apart from one horrendous event when we built our own home,” continues Philippe. “There was a change to the building regulations just after we started, which we didn’t know about…
“There is now a requirement to put all sockets and switches a certain distance from the floor. The inspector came on a routine visit and saw all our beautiful polished steel units installed – but below the regulation height (which is there to aid those in wheelchairs to operate safely). So we had to rip out some 80 or so switches and sockets and reinstall every one of them. Ignorance is definitely not bliss so we’re much more diligent about checking the ‘regs’ with our engineer.”
Unlike most owners featured in these pages, the couple are clear that this and future projects are likely to be the platform on which they build a business in property development. However, if they are going to be aiming for as big an audience as possible, are their modern designs likely to appeal to a broad enough church?
“We have been told by many people that they really love what we do, which is very reassuring and inspiring,” says Philippe. “We do think that if what we do works, it is because we are always trying to create a home we’d be happy to live in. We think that is probably what makes our designs that little bit more distinctive – we cannot always make homes that will appeal to absolutely everyone, but we would rather focus on a narrower group of like-minded individuals with real imagination and who get excited about their new homes. If we can carry on doing that, then we will be content and feel we really have achieved something worthwhile. It’s also very good business, which is no hardship.”
So with this commercial project still being very personal to the couple, I ask if they could pick out one feature that they’re particularly fond of. “We love the whole house – but especially the lantern,” says Philippe. “The main reception also has a modern wall mounted gas fire on a false chimney breast. The unique feature about the breast is the halo effect of natural light that we have created on each side – no-one can quite work out how we’ve done it!”
Onto the next... With their own home almost finished, and this property now sold, courtesy of the good people at John D Wood & Co, the couple are now moving forward with their next project. “We have bought a wonderful plot in Esher where we are applying the design ideals and incorporating many of the features we love, such as double height ceilings and mezzanines,” says Philippe. “If it turns out as well as we hope then we will have a tempting choice to make as to where we live!”
- For more information, call 0208 941 9991 or visit their website at www.studiocelandine.com. For further properties in this area, call John D Wood & Co on 01372 462 211.
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