Case study:
Master ensuite, Harborne.
Designing a stylish, functional, and luxury space takes time. It's very rewarding when showing a concept to a potential customer they want that vision made a reality. Below is a great example of just that. It's quite a change from the room we started with.
Detailed project write-up and customer feedback below.
A retired professional couple in Harborne wanted their sizable ensuite completely refurbished; the 25 year-old design, though in good condition, was now very dated. I visited and spent time with them noting what they wanted from the space. I ascertained what they did and didn’t like and listened to their own, well-researched ideas. I asked questions about the house, the water and heating systems, the general infrastructure, preferred colour schemes and generally got to know them. I took pictures, measurements and began designing. My brief: luxury, smart, quality – we set to work on the plan. During the second visit I shared my designs on a tablet using photo-realistic images. I always take care and invest time to make it as detailed and as realistic as possible. Customers get to see a 3D-rendered version of the proposed design from multiple angles and viewpoints, with a commentary and rationale. I encourage them to pose further questions and discuss their impressions, thoughts, and feelings about the images to help me gauge how close we are to their ideal. At this stage I could share an accurate price for the project, having considered the role of other trades, how long it will take, what background materials are needed, price brackets for fittings, and the cost of disposing of waste from the project. If all are happy to proceed, then I produce a comprehensive document, detailing the project and respond to further queries. The couple were delighted and their 5% deposit secured the 3-week booking. As we neared the start date, I encouraged the customers to make choices using a shared online folder with product information and images, and ordered samples, brochures when required. and Visits to showrooms which whom we work can also be arranged, if desired. Customers can be as involved, or not, as they wish. We take great care when working at properties – these are your homes and we are very respectful of your space. We ensure that furniture and fittings such as staircases, bookcases and anything else near our working area, are covered and carpets and hard floors are protected. We set up our (quite extensive) tool area. We set about stripping the room back to suitable surfaces, top to bottom. In this case, an old stud wall was removed, along with a bidet and most of the room was stripped back to bare brick. A half-height stud wall was built under the window to match the face of the existing chimney breast. All new plumbing pipes were installed within along with a concealed cistern to hang the wall-mounted w/c on. Another stud wall at the back of the room provided the depth for the lit feature niche and filler tap location. We had no access from above the space so all the spotlights had to be routed from below before new boarding, skim, and décor. The shower area was to be a wet room design with feature tiling. A sleek, linear stainless-steel trough and precision envelope cut tiling will make wet rooms a really special feature. Electric underfloor heating controlled by a smart, digital, thermostat ran throughout the shower area and across the rest of the floor keeping the porcelain nice and warm. A concealed thermostatic twin-outlet shower valve with overhead drencher, and adjustable riser is the perfect combination of functionality and style. Finishing touches included a lit niche for bathroom essentials. A double wall-hung vanity unit was the ideal match and above this, the triple, lit luxury cabinet bounced attractive reflections about the room. The rooms primary heating was provided by a classic bar-on-bar chrome towel radiator, which was from the central heating system and fitted with its own heating element within controlled by an adjacent timed controller. The room was wrapped in matt porcelain, giving it a real earthy, sculptured feel. Metal trims were added throughout and a custom-made fitted faux-wooden blind. The finished product was luxurious and smart, and exuded quality and style.
“We are delighted with our new bathroom […] The workmanship is of the highest standard. Justin had great ideas from design to completion.”
Jo & Peter – Harborne
Case study:
Kitchen, utility, cloakroom project, Stourbridge.
The kitchen is often the most used room in any house and considered by many to be the hub of the home. It is a space for cooking, relaxing, eating, chatting and generally entertaining. As a homeowner, you want to have a kitchen that you can be proud of and an expertly designed one will look great for years. A qualified and experienced kitchen design/install team can create a truly bespoke, unique kitchen that fits in with the style of your home. Of all the rooms to renovate in a house, having a kitchen designed and installed by Omega Developments ltd. adds the most value to your home.
This kitchen was part of a two-stage larger project in Stourbridge. The house was having a large rear extension built that would block the two access routes out to the garden. The new access into that extension would then run through the existing kitchen so our first job was to prioritise the builders, family and our needs to get that phase underway. We take a lot of care and apply much planning to limit disruption to families. Liaising with the building contactors to ensure schedules match, and smooth transitions between phases is key. Project-managing is not easy and requires skilled focus throughout. A temporary kitchen area was set up to facilitate the bare essentials and the rest of the kitchen was dismantled to allow this new access route. At this stage the mains water feed had to be re-routed from the cloakroom w/c next door out into the extension and then back into what would become the utility area. A surestop switch was also added for convenience. The old dining area that was to become this kitchen space required all new waste and water feed pipes routed to the area along with extraction ducting for the hob. All new wiring circuits supplying the many gadgets and appliances were laid as well as cat 6 network cabling. The ceiling was first on the agenda so that the extensive cabling could be ran for the ceiling spotlights. New ceiling boarding, plastering, décor, and connecting the 12 main (Philips Hue smart) downlights. The floor was block & beam with tough remnants of old tiles and adhesive that all needed stripping back to prepare. The overall design laid emphasis on a sleek and modern symmetrical feature back wall with the centrepiece being the smart fridge. Classic ‘American style’ in brushed stainless steel it’s well worthy of being centre-stage. Featuring a filtered ice and water dispenser, it also boasts the smart screen which offers a multitude of gadgets – the favourites being the photo album, daily recipes, and ring doorbell connectivity. Neff appliances each side with a plate warmer under the built-in microwave oven to visually align to the main oven the other side. Custom adapted push-access baking tray drawers underneath both to utilize all available space. Overhead storage to frame the fridge and ambient colour temperature adjustable moodlighting overhead. Moving around the room a ‘kidney’ corner cabinet provides more accessible storage from that cavity. An Alexa speaker sits in the corner for the family to call out and add ingredients to shopping lists, announce dinnertime, and to play crisp music as you enjoy the space. An undermounted Franke sink and an Insinkerator boiling tap in smart black adorn the glistening white 20mm quartz worktops. Feature hex mosaic splashback tiling blends ceramic, metal and glass materials into a truly contemporary spectacle. A stylish glass, lit, floating shelf finishes the wall without clutter or imposing cabinets. Integrated dishwasher and hidden 50/50 bin keeps clean, minimalistic lines. Another ‘kidney’ corner unit serves the opposite side moving into 3 large, wide drawers. Above which the glorious Neff black-glass induction hob boasting five rings. The old recess for the patio doors provided both the depth for the matching Neff rise up/down surface extractor, as well as another feature lit shelf showing off more hex mosaic work. A plinth heater mounted below the drawers and connected to the central heating system provides subtle additional heating to the area if ever needed. The original idea was to have an island but the dimensions just didn’t work. This ‘return’ in the unit run alternative turned out to be a better result in everyone’s opinion with that boastful wine cooler being one of the first things occupants notice – stacked up with every drink from Pepsi to Prosecco. The quartz overhang provides the perfect space for casual dining and socializing with underlights and a cheeky hidden brushed-black USB socket for any additional power requirements. Further matching sockets throughout provide ample power outlets for the modern demanding family. The unit fronts are a wonderful matt graphite handleless ‘J’ slab design, obviously soft close, smooth feel and gliding luxury mechanisms by Blum. The 600mm matt white porcelain floor tiles compliment this look perfectly. Underfloor electric heating by Warmup with a smart, digital thermostat keeps them a cosy temperature first thing in the morning. The spot-lighting by Philips Hue is completely customizable to suit clients needs. As well as automating on/off operation the shades/colours/moods and brightness can be configured to match every need throughout the day and night. LED strip moodlighting also compliments sections of the area too. It’s very true that the lighting makes a room. Every kitchen lighting system is well-thought and planned with your all-important involvement. We also added a Nest smoke and carbon monoxide alarm to add to the other units in the network to watch over this amazing hub. Oak-veneered doors and new architraves throughout. The whole space was plastered and decorated by us including all architraves and skirting. Full design, supply, conversion project - kitchen phase - 3 weeks