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Press Coverage of Outstanding Interiors |
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Surrey Life Magazine Feature |
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Read the article 'Designer Style', as
featured in the Nov 2009 edition of
Surrey Life Magazine. The article is
reproduced below. |
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Weybridge Flyer |
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To see the Weybridge flyer article,
please click
here. |
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25 Beautiful
Homes Magazine
Features |
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To read the multiple page article
'Against The Odds' about our Victorian
detached home featured in the January
2011 edition of 25 Beautiful Homes,
please
click here. |
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To read the article 'No Place Like Home' featured in the
August 2012 edition of 25 Beautiful Homes,
please
click here. |
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To read the article 'Elegance & Style' featured in the
May 2013 edition of 25 Beautiful Homes,
please
click here. |
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There
are many talented interior
designers in Surrey, but few
offer realistic
digital images of their
schemes. JANET DONIN meets
an outstanding
designer with the technology
to let you try before you
buy |
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She
then creates a precise
flatplan of the room on the
computer, which is extruded
into a 3D image complete
with furniture and colour to
give it authenticity.
“Typically, it takes me about two
days to do this,” Sarah
says. “But it’s worth the
effort as it takes the guess
work out of designing. I
also give clients a mood
board of fabrics, paints
and wallpapers, so they can
actually feel the
materials.”
Crucially, the client is then provided with detailed costings, so there
are no surprises. However,
she firmly believes that
good design should transcend
budgets. “Even with a
relatively small budget,
it’s possible to get the wow
factor into a scheme,” she
says.
When it comes to her own tastes, Sarah admits she is quite eclectic. She
loves the traditional
designs of Mulberry and Jane
Churchill, but the companies
that really make her heart
sing are Threads, J Robert
Scott and
Chase Erwin who produce
luxurious weaves, cashmeres
and silks – all very
glamorous and expensive.
Despite the economic climate, Sarah says glamour is high on everyone’s
agenda and she is now being
asked for elaborate curtain
treatments with interesting
details and rich velvet or
paisley fabrics in gold or
metallic.
Summing up her interior design
philosophy, Sarah says: “I
don’t ask my clients to
imagine how their home will
look, I show them –
and then I turn it into
reality...” |
THE last thing you
would normally associate
with the glamorous world of
interiors is a designer who
has a complete fascination
with computers. But for 48
year-old Sarah Shorrocks,
producing computer generated
images is an essential part
of instilling confidence in
her clients and encouraging
them to be totally involved
in the design process.
“I desperately don’t want to impose my ideas on a client, and with the
help of the computer they
stay firmly in the driving
seat,” says Sarah, whose
company Outstanding
Interiors is
based in Weybridge. “The 3D
images are incredibly
realistic showing structural
features, new joinery
suggestions, even specific
fabrics for curtains so my
clients can see exactly how
their finished room will
look.”
Her love of design began when she was just a young child – she held a
paintbrush even before
picking up a pen – and she
maintained her creativity
during her previous career
in education.
But it wasn’t until she and
her husband bought a
crumbling house in Weybridge
that her imagination really
took flight.
“When we bought the house 16 years ago, it had four walls and a shaky
roof, but it was worth
rescuing!” she says. |
It was while she was working with architects, builders, carpenters and
plumbers on the restoration
that the design bug took
hold, prompting her to take
a Diploma in Interior Design
at
the University of the Arts
in London.
However, learning about colour
scheming and decorating
wasn’t
enough – Sarah also wanted
to know how to work with
space, so took a course in
creating computer generated
images, which gave her the
tools to use the dynamics of
space effectively.
A
thriving business
All that was three years
ago, and now Sarah has
clients everywhere from St
George’s Hill to Cornwall
and all around the home
counties. She also gives
some of her time to local
charities, in particular the
Sam Beare Hospice in
Weybridge and to the Variety
Club of Great Britain, where
her interior design
skills are offered at
fundraising events.
When she meets a client for the first time, Sarah begins with a style
diagnosis to identify their
taste. Next, she will
present her library of
computer colour schemes. |
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1
A formal dining room with
furniture designed by Sarah
2 Creating interesting
lighting is all part of the
service 3 Exact fabrics and
wallpapers can be
incorporated into the
computer generated image
(CGI)
4 This CGI shows a
contemporary living room
with suggested furniture and
fittings 5 The computer
allows Sarah to recommend a
variety of schemes to give
clients more choice 6 The
finished living room with
the same furniture as before
but a different colour
scheme 7 Sarah supplies
fabrics and trimmings from
many leading fabric
companies 8 Because kitchens
involve so many structural
elements, it’s particularly
helpful to see a CGI before
work begins |
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Above
- Surrey Life Magazine Feature on
Outstanding Interiors |
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Below -
Weybridge Flyer Article on
Outstanding Interiors |
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