House Tour: How to Combine Contemporary Style With Comfort Like This Scandi Home
Located in Little Abington, a village south of Cambridge, this spacious home remodelled for a young family of three effortlessly blends minimalistic, Scandinavian style with timeless Mid-century influences. The homeowners wanted to redesign and update the five-bedroom property so that the new interior would fit their needs and lifestyle, enabling them to make the most of country life, while still being able to commute to work in the city of Cambridge. Katie Malik Studio was asked to propose new furniture and lighting layouts along with fixtures, fittings and finishes that included bespoke joinery design. The result? A comfortable, crisp and functional space that the homeowners had always dreamt of.
Constructed in the 1930s, this detached house overlooks the nearby paddocks and features a mature garden that captivated the homeowners. With the tranquil surroundings serving as an idyllic backdrop, the interior space needed to reflect the personality and vision of the young family: a minimalistic Scandi look that did not compromise on warmth and comfort. Katie Malik Studio immediately got to work by introducing furniture and fittings with clean lines, perfectly balanced proportions and open structures that minimised visual noise in the home. Combining these clean-cut elements with natural materials like whitewashed oak, walnut and wood-effect tiles on the ground floor, alongside a warming colour scheme of off-whites, greys, blacks and dark navy blues, the interior space achieved that balance of modernity and comfort.
The family wanted a slightly more rustic feel on the second floor and were adamant about having a mid-century family room that exuded hygge. Dark grey joinery and a walnut floor paired with dark walls and a grey ceiling mean that this homely enclave instantly stands out in the house. The unique finishes together with the fireplace, an iconic Eames lounge chair and a variety of different textures and darker muted tones all bring a feeling of warmth to this room, which is exactly what the homeowners envisioned.
The motif of combining contemporary style with comfortability continues throughout the home, allowing the design team to get creative with personal details that each member of the family could appreciate. For instance, the space under the stairs was converted into “Harry’s Room”, specifically built for the homeowners’ daughter who was a toddler when the project was completed. “I loved how the idea made my client’s eyes sparkle. Her husband would have his own VR room and her daughter would have a secret hiding place under the stairs,” interior designer on the project, Katie Malik, added. Having personal anecdotes inspired the client to propose the idea of fitting a bathtub in what was originally intended to be another guest bedroom, but ended up being a relaxation room perfect for winding down after a long day.
Katie Malik Studio started the design for the home in September 2020 and finished in December. The works started in February 2021 and the project was completed in September 2021.
Words by Shai Rama
Interior Design: Katie Malik Interiors