This was a big one. Rather than tackling one room at a time, the project grew into a complete transformation of the downstairs and garden. The idea was to make the whole space work together, inside and out, rather than having a nice living room leading into a hallway that looks like it belongs to a completely different house.

Inside, I worked through the full downstairs — floors, walls, furniture, layouts, lighting, colour schemes and all the little details that pull everything together. That included specifying and fitting seven radiators, reworking the kitchen and appliances, styling the entrance, dressing the hallway, creating an art wall and building the furniture layout around how the client actually uses the house. It was about creating different pockets and functions throughout the downstairs, so the space could change depending on whether you're cooking, eating, watching TV, working, entertaining or just sitting doing absolutely nothing — which is also a perfectly valid use of a room.

The colour and material choices were important because I didn't want every space to feel like a separate project. The finishes, furniture and lighting were selected to flow through the ground floor while still giving each area its own character. The entrance and hallway became part of the design rather than just somewhere you pass through, with artwork, lighting and styling used to make the route through the house feel intentional.

Outside, I treated the garden in much the same way. Instead of one big open space, we created pockets that could be used at different times of the day. The garden was completely reworked with raised beds, planting, a water feature, new decking, lighting and an arbour and shed. The existing steps were also lifted, repaired and relaid, because there isn't much point making everything around them look fantastic if the steps are trying to kill you.

The raised beds were particularly important because they changed the way the garden could be used. Bringing them up to a more comfortable height made them much easier to access and maintain, while the planting and water feature added movement and texture. The lighting was then used to make sure the garden didn't just disappear once the sun went down.

What I like about this project is that it wasn't really about buying lots of nice things and putting them in a house. It was about changing how the whole ground floor is experienced. The layouts, furniture, lighting, colour, artwork, kitchen, heating and styling all work together, and then that thinking continues outside into the garden.

The end result is a home with much more usable space and much more personality. There are places to sit, eat, work, entertain, relax and enjoy the garden at different times of the day. It feels considered without feeling over-designed — which is usually the sweet spot I'm looking for. And yes, there was a lot of stuff to do. Seven radiators alone is enough to keep you busy for a while.