#ChiswickHouse&Home

[keepthingslocal]

House and Home: Craig & Rose Chiswick Showroom - Coats Of Many Colours

Josu Badiola Authentic period paints, contemporary colours and a bespoke home consultancy service… you’ll be spoilt for choice at Craig & Rose ‘When it comes to painting the downstairs loo, I’ve noticed that customers love to go a little crazy,’ smiles Josu Badiola, the charming Manager of Craig & Rose’s High Road showroom. ‘The house might otherwise be refined, with tasteful neutral shades, but in the loo imaginations run riot with bold colours and striking effects. That’s fun for us too.’ Originally from the Basque Country and a long-time W4 resident, Josu is an experienced interior designer and showroom manager. ‘We opened in Chiswick in April 2018. This was Craig & Rose’s first retail store and we’ve had a lovely welcome.’ The company was founded bin 1829 by James Craig and Hugh Rose and became renowned for manufacturing superior paints. Today, it combines that heritage with the latest industry technology to offer a dazzling variety of options for the modern home. ‘Our premium vintage collection is the 1829,’ explains Josu. ‘It has 110 period colours, all sourced from the archives, which mix smoothly and give superb coverage. Complementing the 1829 are the Tintable and Artisan Effects ranges: the former is a new concept featuring 485 strong, contemporary colours; the latter is an exciting collection of decorative paints and finishes, such as metallic and spray effects, glitter glazes and marbling. We also have a book – we call it the Atlas – with 5000 colours which we can mix in store and customers are welcome to bring in a colour sample and we’ll scan it to achieve the best match.’

Josu and his friendly team are always happy to sit down over a coffee, answer questions and give advice. ‘We do emphasise the importance of sanding down walls, sealing them with an undercoat and checking the colours in situ,’ he says. ‘In addition, we provide a bespoke home consultancy service. Our in-house expert is Sara Faulkner and she visits clients at home and works with them to devise colour schemes that suit the lighting, furniture and accessories. ‘We’re proud of the quality of our products; it’s very difficult to leave Craig & Rose without the exact colour you want.’

Josu Badiola

Josu Badiola

Read the full article

[keepthingslocal]

Landscape Architecture: Stefano Marinaz - A Passion For Plants

Stefano Marinaz Stefano Marinaz creates beautiful, practical gardens that make people happy Stefano Marinaz found his vocation early on. ‘The seeds for my future were planted 75 years ago in Trieste in Italy, when my grandfather opened a nursery. My love for plants dates from when I was a kid – I used to “help” in the garden and glasshouses.’ Today, Stefano’s enthusiasm is undimmed. ‘I’m lucky to do something I love; designing and building gardens is my passion.’ He studied Landscape Architecture, including a stint at the Royal Botanic Gardens (his company is now a Kew Patron), and founded his business in 2012. Since then, he has completed projects of all shapes and sizes, ranging from London gardens to the recreation of historic landscapes and, locally, he has helped Abundance London with its Devonshire Road planting initiative.

Stefano and his team oversee the design and construction of a garden from beginning to end. ‘The starting point is the site visit,’ he explains. ‘It gives us the chance to discuss the client’s vision – for example, do they want a play area or a serene space in which to relax? – and preferred plants and colour palette.’ Armed with this information, a design is created according to budget, including features such as furniture, lighting, sculpture and fencing. ‘The choice of plants is at the heart of the process and, of course, we expect the design to evolve – it’s a collaboration’ says Stefano. ‘When the plans are approved, we arrange any hard or soft landscaping with our regular contractors and we do the planting, ensuring that the shrubs, plants and trees have the best start.’

That attention to detail doesn’t end there; Stefano’s expert in-house maintenance crew will care for the garden on an on-going basis and he has now also started supplying beautiful indoor plants and cut flowers in vases. ‘Since we design gardens that extend from the house, we thought why not bring the garden’s colour and scents back inside.’ Whether you want a tranquil green haven or a functional modern space for outdoor entertaining, Stefano will take your dream from drawing board to reality.

Stefano Marinaz Read the full article