The secret of a great building may be in its architectural detail, but the secret of a beautiful and functional home is a creative, open-minded and forward-thinking approach to interior design…
When the initial design for a house is completed and the exterior materials are planned and sourced, then comes the fun part – the interior. These days, many people are opting for a simple and stylish finish, and where better could you go to achieve that look than Foras of Stowbridge? As suppliers of a vast array of natural materials for the home and garden, Foras specialises in all types of stoneware and ceramics, from sculptures and bird baths to pots and planters for the outside, to interior tiling and flooring, all in order to create the complete home.
This is exactly what some clients were looking for when they approached John Wootton, owner and director of Foras, when their house in Fincham was still at the planning stage and they were looking for design ideas.
As someone who knows his products and the latest trends really well, John is the ideal person to have onboard when planning both the interior and exterior of a house. John started the business with his partner Claire Brutnall 12 years ago, after meeting an Indian ship’s Captain by chance at a party in London. Coincidently, John had just bought some Indian stone, and being struck by the beauty and distinctiveness of it, decided he wanted to see for himself where it was made – and contacted his new friend to help him make some contacts in India.
Now, much of the stoneware Foras sells is imported from there, as well as from Africa, Europe and China. The clients in Fincham had already renovated two properties before and were now in a dilemma as to what materials to use on this build. Natural stone was one of their choices, but they were also open to a more contemporary finish.
This led them down the porcelain route, which can often work out to be a more economical alternative to natural stone. The clients had always been happy with natural stone, and so their initial question was why should we go to porcelain? In the end, it came down to sheet size and what was available to fulfill their requirements. “Porcelain is a man-made product
manufactured from Kaolin,” explains John. ”It’s non-porous and it’s excellent for underfloor heating. When a client comes in to discuss their requirements, we often talk about their lifestyle and what they want the house to do for them. One of our challenges is to break down the perceptions people have about what can be achieved.”
In Fincham, the house has a very large main living space, and the challenge here was to inject some character into it. For this room, they talked about whether they were open to something different, and were soon drawn to having tile inlays in the centre of the floor, giving definition and drawing the eye to the dining table.
Even before the roof had been installed, the clients had played around with a few ideas with John, and then left it with him. The first decisions had to be made about the kitchens and
bathrooms, and early on John was asked to go and make a site visit armed with lots of with samples and layout ideas. “From my point of view it’s about asking the right questions,” says John. “Is this a house for life or for development? I always start with the kitchen – have they chosen it, and what colours do they like? Once the walls were in, they began to think about what they wanted for the kitchen and bathrooms. You then really started to get a feel about the place, and also the size it is – this is a huge house. I began to get a feel about colour and tone, and what would make the most of the wonderful space they had. They were able to make some decisions about choosing some materials which were quirky but not outrageous.”
The main palette for the house involves cool greys with calming contrasts and occasional unexpected splashes of colour. The floor is tiled in a pale grey throughout the open plan ground floor, with vintage tiling in contrasting tones around the table. The large bi-fold doors open onto a wide terraced area tiled in the exterior version of the tiles used inside, creating an inside/outside living space which gives wonderful views across the fields. The darker tones of the kitchen offer a distinct contrast to the floor, with feature brickwork behind the cooker.
This links with the opposite end of the large open living area where curved brickwork is used to great effect under and behind the statement open-tread wooden staircase.
The bathrooms and cloakrooms are all tiled in interesting and variable styles. Wall tiles sit happily alongside a wall of brickwork in one of the larger shower rooms, which also has attractive floor tiles, carefully chosen to match the colours in the bricks and wall tiles. One of the bathrooms features an unusual lavender coloured roll-top bath, with wood-effect porcelain planks cleverly designed to look like floorboards.
Yet another bathroom features a wall of dark blue rectangular wall tiles, which in turn pick out the dark blue in the pattern of the floor tiles. The whole effect of this beautifully designed modern home is one of clean lines and a peaceful interior, drawing the eye through the rooms and beyond. Foras were delighted to be able to provide all the stone, porcelain and tiles for the build – and the result is a wonderful blend of calm tones and practical living.
As gold medal winners at Chelsea Flower Show in 2013, John Wootton and his team are very well qualified to offer advice and expertise, although they would never profess to being designers.
“What we do give our customers is time,” says John. “We never rush people out of the door; they can have a coffee and take their time making choices. Our relationship with our customers is the most important thing, and we’ll help them find what they’re looking for, whether it’s one small garden feature or a whole house.”