Wooden panelling: another Retrouvius refit

An interior made from salvaged materials – especially lots of beautiful wood – was one of the most popular posts here in recent months. 

The team behind the design of the place were Retrouvius, whose work and architectural salvage and furniture shop I really love. They've just completed another interior design project, this one still all about reclaimed and reused materials, but far slicker in style. What do you think?

This five-storey house is in swishy Primrose Hill, north London, and Retrouvius say that the place was in such a state when work began that "at one point on opening the front door one could see all the way up to the sky and across all four floors to the basement."

All images: www.retrouvius.com 

Although this is obviously a very high-end property, the use of reclaimed materials is something any project can employ. If it's something you are doing or thinking of doing, you might be interested to read about the fashion designers Antoni & Alison, who painstakingly did up their own old house/studio by reusing materials, and share their insider tips for finding treasures and key materials over in this post.

Love the detail above right, where tiling extends into the painted floor-boards. And what beautiful, calming, summery colours. The floor is wire-brushed wood oak strip, "very light-allowing" explain Retrouvius.

The kitchen really highlights the beautiful contrast between sleek, clean-lined design and the use of battered old materials. I think it really softens a space that, with all new materials, could have been clinical and lacking in character.

This incredible parquet flooring and panelling is panga panga . Look at how they have had the strips arranged – though parquet is a traditional, classic style, the unconventional patterns here give it an interesting quirk. 

"All three bedroom floors wanted a relaxed summer bare-foot feel with painted pine boards," explain Retrouvius. "And from the initial client meeting the design team aspired to completely re-orientate the spatial flow of the home - maximising its relationship to the rear and the incredible mature wooded view." (Which you can see out of the window, above.)

You can compare it with the other – very different – Retrouvius project in this previous post. Find out about commissioning Retrouvius for a design project, or nose around their gorgeous online shop at www.retrouvius.com