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Towers may conjure up images of times past: lookouts come to mind, or the crowning glory of ancient castles. But rarely do we expect the clean lines and sleek luxury of this round, tall family home. Tasked with creating a serene mood in this tricky, curved layout was Carol Crimmins, lead interior designer at Nordic Elements.
While Carol was brought on board to help with the interiors, renovations initially began on the building around a decade ago. “It was an existing water tower – it had obviously been there for quite a while,” Carol recalls. “About ten years ago, an architect became involved to convert it to a residential building. Our clients bought it mid-project directly from the developer. It came as a sort of half-completed project.”
Carol’s adroitness was instrumental when it came to making decisions on things from colour palette to texture and flooring too. “They wanted a very restrained, muted palate. That was challenging in itself because at Nordic Elements, we love colour. We don’t use grey or greige.” Clean lines with good storage were also key in creating a practical environment conducive to family life.
When it came to furniture, all of the pieces are from Nordic Elements. Carol’s expertise when it came to furnishing such a tricky space was instrumental in the project. “The shape of the building really informed my approach,” she says. “There isn’t a straight wall in the house so everything was custom-made to fit the space. It was about making it look streamlined and ensuring everything felt seamless. The client didn’t want any clutter or unnecessary detail.”
“They only brought two pieces with them from their previous home – the first is a beautiful mid-century sideboard, which we used in the dining area. That worked beautifully with all the contemporary furniture pieces that we chose. The other is a stunning Persian rug. The rooms are quite small – you expect them to be bigger for the footprint of the building – so they weren’t sure if they’d be able to use it. I suggested they have it cleaned, and we used it in the children’s room. We worked with the colours in the rug for some of the fringe pieces and it came together nicely.”
For Carol, the bar is one of the standout features. “Normally, when people mention ‘bar’ to me, that brings me out in a rash! You can have pretty awful home bars,” she laughs. Here the focus was on creating an elegant, free-standing piece of furniture. “We work with an amazing joiner called Shane Duffley and together we managed to get a dishwasher, a sink, sockets for a kettle, as well as storage for drinks and glasses into a very small space. It’s all concealed quite nicely.”
This feature originally appeared in the autumn/winter 2023 issue of IMAGE Interiors. Have you thought about becoming a subscriber? Find out more, and sign up here.