Oliver Burns Interiors : About : Bleak to Chic

From Bleak to chic showcases the transformation of Bleak House - a derelict Grade II listed Georgian building used as offices, into Dalton House - a beautiful & luxurious Georgian mansion that acts as a unique 3D Portfolio for Oliver Burns' interior and exterior design, and also as a boutique concept store. It took a long time to find the perfect building for Oliver Burns Interiors' flagship store and portfolio. Bleak House as it was formerly known was acquisitioned from another development company through private negotiations, never making its way on to the open market. Acting as both designer and client, detailed plans for the building were designed and submitted which included an amount of demolition work to rid the building of hideous modern extensions. Permissions and consents were obtained and major structural works commenced. Extensive building works were carried out, including an archaeological dig, soil testing, lime plaster testing, soft strip, demolition, adding structural supports, re-roofing, new plumbing, electrics, and extensive joinery. The main challenge was that to stay absolutely true to the concept, everything had to be for sale, including copies of the original features that could not be removed due to listed buildings consent (fireplaces, radiators etc.) This required extensive research, working with a wide variety of people from English Heritage craftsmen, hundreds of suppliers, luxury brands, and reclamation yards through to key opinion formers such as the local conservation team and archaeological society. The design of the house was driven from the desire to create a completely different way of commissioning design services and also a unique shopping experience, interpreting our ideas & current trends in a marketable way, but staying true to the history of the building and its original features and quirks. Our vision was to inspire people at both a physical and emotional level – and take them on a sensory journey around the house, illustrating an eclectic mix of styles within the schemes. We wanted contemporary rooms with immediate visual impact to rub shoulders with more decadent traditional spaces – but to always be warm and comforting – just like a home should be. The project was challenging, but extremely rewarding. The ‘Bleak' has now been taken out of the house. We reverted to the original name of Dalton House, and the building has been lovingly restored and updated to create a stunning mix of interior & exterior design. By weaving together such a wide range of ideas, we feel that we have created not only a house that reflects many facets of design today, but have also led the way in creating a new breed of ‘home from home' retail experiences, where clients are not faceless members of the public, but treated as valued guests in our home. The brief was met on budget and inside the timescale at 11 months. Case study coming soon.

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