At Lovelight we pride ourselves on our strong collaborations with suppliers, architects, builders, clients and designers. This month we thought we would give you a closer look inside this process by talking to Gemma Bishop from the product and design team at Fairhaven Homes as well as Alannah Pollett from the volume operations team here at Lovelight. The two have formed a great working relationship over the years which makes specifying and installing window furnishings in Fairhaven display homes a seamless process.

As an example of this collaboration we particularly focussed on Fairhaven’s recently completed display home - Lonsdale 409 - a double storey designed to create “wow factor.” Gemma was brought in to design the 41sq home with its various living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and multiple entertainment areas -  no small task, as you can imagine. She decided to work with “sophisticated neutral tones and enough contrast to make sure the exterior worked cohesively with the interior."

Gemma began by creating a colour pallet of “soft greys and warm oaks that were non-obtrusive, luxurious and full of character; including bone coloured tiles and light coloured furnishings. Gold tapware and subtle gold touches were then added to create a point of difference.”

Of course, when it came to window furnishings Gemma worked with Alannah from Lovelight to “capture the desired colour and feeling as well as to ensure light was brought into the home and that rooms were softened where needed.” Alannah commented that when working on display homes in particular she knew that “window furnishings play a very important part in the aesthetics or ‘curb appeal’, as often you can see the window treatments from the exterior. We believe that they help to welcome clientele in.”

For Lonsdale 409 the pair avoided stark whites, instead deeming that the best option to suit the style of the home were light grey sheers, pelmets and block outs. For the majority of the bedroom spaces Gemma chose “Sheer S-Fold Curtain in James Dunlop Antipodes Cloud to sit as a delicate grey against the white walls.”

Moving to the main living areas and Fairhaven’s stunning commercial style aluminium framed windows, these were best “complemented with a soft coloured slimline pelmet in Warwick Chambray Ash. Then the same Warwick fabric was added as a blockout curtain in the theatre, which sat attractively warm against moody grey walls.” Gemma and Alannah then finished the impressive list of window appointments with roller blinds and slimline pelmets in the final bedrooms.

Delving a little deeper, Gemma explained why she believes window furnishings should be high on the priority list prior for families; “moving into a new home, custom fit window furnishings makes the spaces feel private and complete. Having an interior designer work with your colours gives you creative ideas on how to soften a room, let light in while maintaining privacy and overall ensures the best and most cohesive outcomes.”

Alannah added additional practical reasons saying that “families should consider their window furnishings early on in the build process so that the cost of the window furnishings can be added to their mortgage with little outlay. This also means that we can measure and install prior to hand over – helping Fairhaven to deliver a home that is not just ready to move in but ready to sleep in and enjoy life in.”

Images: Urban Angles