Inspired by stately English country homes, the Surrey Lookbook brings sophisticated London style to the country. Honouring a grand tradition whilst modernising it with family living in mind, it follows the example of its eponymous historic county—within an hour of the capital—by perfectly blending English heritage with urbane attitudes.
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Stately Inspirations
“For the Surrey Lookbook, we started by envisioning the space for which this lookbook is intended—a stately country home—and the aesthetic that that home’s character might lean towards,” explains Joanne, Senior LuxDeco Interior Designer, “We are lucky to work in the beautiful homes of our customers and clients and a lot of them happen to live in rural counties just outside of London with country homes just like this.”
“With this collection, we focused on two things—the heritage of the English country homes and the needs of a modern family. We represented the heritage in the symmetry of the furniture layouts and the beautiful craftsmanship of the furniture.”
“To represent modern comfort, we chose lovely fabrics, easy upholstery and relaxing colour palettes. The collection had to suit the space but it also had to be liveable.”
Prioritising Form and Function
“Beautiful family living—that’s what this collection offers,” says Joanne, “We’re finding that, more than ever, people want a home that is first and foremost functional for their families—a home where their family can live happily and comfortably is the most important thing to them.”
And so the lookbook delivers on both comfort and function. Time-honoured country sofa silhouettes—the kind where relaxation is inevitable—pair with high-gloss exotic wood cabinets and deep India Ink coffee tables in a clever pairing of smart and informal.
Grand architectural-inspired pedestal tables and cabinetry are softened by lighter colour palettes resulting in a surprising informality.
Modern lighting and artwork are peppered throughout, lifting the look visually. A classic neutral palette is amped up with subtle layering and rich textures. It’s a masterclass in transitional design.
“Transitional style melds beauty with liveability with a heavy emphasis on timeless design,” says Linda Holmes, LuxDeco Interiors Director, of the collection’s dateless style.
World-renowned Craftsmanship
Recognising that the collection needed substance as well as style, the team recruited only the finest furniture makers from around the world in assembling the collection’s furniture foundation. Elegant Italian furniture sits comfortably alongside stylish American cabinetry and British upholstery—an international furniture gathering of the finest kind.
Selva—the classic Italian furniture maker—loans the aesthetics of its favoured Jubilee and Hector ranges; Bernhardt flies the flag for American furniture brands with its neoclassical Canyon Ridge range (seen in the lookbook’s beautifully dressed kitchen); and the understated craftsmanship of traditional British upholstery is enjoyed throughout.
A Transferable Style
Although inspired by a specific locale, the merit of the Surrey Lookbook is found in its adaptability. Most of its spaces are offered in a formal and informal version and so much of the collection is unbound by place or style. Its colour palette, its accents, its shapes—all can be relocated from country to city and from hemisphere to hemisphere.
For a city apartment, the kitchen’s casual dining set might work best or, indeed, the formal dining chairs with a smaller dining table. Perhaps the collection’s lighting is just the focal point an existing formal living room needs or the collection's sideboard vignette for an entryway. The beauty is that it can be interpreted in the best way possible for your home, not least because of its goes-with-everything palette.
An ever-relaxing choice, the design team have mastered the art of a layered neutral collection, which is more difficult than may at first appear. Joanne explains, “If you are sticking with a completely neutral scheme make sure you add contrast through tone and texture otherwise the room will lack life. That’s why we contrasted glassy finishes with velvets, high-gloss macassar with antique brass, faux leather with bouclé textiles.”
For those looking to accentuate the neutral look with accent colours, the design team offer some other suggestions.
“It’s important to remember that all neutrals have an undertone of a colour,” Joanne reveals, “It could be greeny beige, bluey grey, pinky sand, etc. Therefore, even though you might be sticking to neutrals in your larger pieces, it’s easy to add colour as it’s most likely already there in some form.”
Style Evolutions
With its timeless aesthetics and even more timeless craftsmanship, the Surrey Lookbook is the perfect blank canvas base for future style developments. “This lookbook is one which can be easily added to, adapted and refreshed if you want a change or if you decorate seasonally," tells Linda before adding, "Although you’ll likely never need to. This is a forever collection—it’s designed to never get old.”
