Visitors to Radleigh’s impressive new show home at Scholars’ Gate in Mickleover could be forgiven for thinking that its chic internal features are the work of a swish interior design agency.
High gloss tiled flooring, textured wall coverings and a decor of warm browns and cool creams all bear the hallmark of an interiors professional - but in fact all the internal styling has been undertaken by Radleigh in-house.
And like all the best stylists the team has taken its inspiration from both the high street and independent boutiques to create a look which is not only stylish but utterly unique.
Senior sales manager Hayley Scott said the project had been very much a team effort, with everyone having some input.
She said: “Some suggestions, such as laying cream tiles from kitchen to family area to allow the rooms to ‘flow’ were immediately accepted. More radical ideas though, such as fitting a round etched glass window into the dining room wall, were discussed at some length.”
Drawing on her own experience, mother of two Hayley came up with one of the show home’s most novel attractions – its Narnia themed children’s bedroom.
She said: “My daughter loves the Chronicles of Narnia and the magical themes of the books hold wide appeal for many children.
“To create a Narnia world we began by finding the right wall paper – a shimmering silver and white forest design from Woodland – then added other key pieces such as the crystal tree-effect light and crystal ceiling light from the Lamp Shed in Derby.
“For added authenticity we searched moviemarket.com to find Narnia posters from the film and even bought a Born Free lion to place on the bed. Other additions such as the snowflakes and sequins duvet cover from BHS also help to produce the right look as does the white wardrobe, but sadly it does have a back on it!”
Although some of the furnishings and fittings come from major chains such as Next and BHS, Derby-based Radleigh also ‘shopped locally’, finding many coveted items from smaller retailers on its doorstep.
The bookcase, children’s bedroom furniture and garden furniture came from Home Brands in Belper; the carpets were purchased from Astra in Derby; Johnsons’ Tiles in Stoke supplied the tiled flooring and the white shutters in the Narnia bedroom were provided free of charge by the Derby branch of Thomas Sanderson Blinds.
Lewis’s in Spondon were responsible for all the window dressings, the mirrored wall in the dining room, bathroom and en suite came from Alvaston Glass and some of the objects d’art which complement the home’s contemporary feel were from Sun Dial in Belper.
Hayley said: “We wanted to create a look that was light and airy so decided to go for big, bold statement pieces like the rattan sofa and table which give an impression of bringing the outdoors inside and used tactile textures in our wall coverings and soft furnishings.
“Choosing the fixtures and fittings, negotiating with suppliers and dressing the house took three months of hard work but we’re very proud of the overall effect.”