Family life, simplified through design
Olivia & Dan, London NW3
Daily life made seamless
Settled into a magnificent Victorian family home in leafy Hampstead, Olivia and Dan came to us a couple of years ago to mastermind the design of their shared creative home workspace. Thrilled with the finished pieces, they got back in touch a few months later, tasking us with addressing numerous problems they had with their existing cabinetry.
Having commissioned fitted furniture throughout their house only a few years previously, the couple was unfortunately dissatisfied with most of the finished pieces. Poor manufacturing and badly considered details made the existing joinery difficult to use. The family was constantly struggling with these design flaws, which made the flow of everyday life unnecessarily complicated.
Impressed by our design process, Olivia and Dan were were particularly struck by how our designers could carefully envision a space, understand how it would be used and solve practical issues through smart design. Our designer Rowena began her design process by studying the family's life: when and how they used each room, what activities took place, and how they interacted with the furniture itself. A key part of this was identifying existing 'friction points' in the home's current layout, and to carefully consider the movement and flow within their home.
A dining nook full of concealed storage
In the kitchen, the existing dining nook bench, while similar in appearance to Lozi’s final design, was highly impractical. Its storage lids were heavy to lift and could slam shut, and their design made accessing the storage underneath cumbersome. The seat itself was uncomfortable due to sharp edges and corners.
Lozi's redesign prioritised comfort and functionality, allowing the visual focus to remain on their striking BB Italia table. A key improvement was the rear storage system: the new opening mechanism is much easier to use, incorporating a soft-close feature for safety, particularly around children. Adding curved corners and a more thoughtfully designed seat width to the seating area now means it is as comfortable as it is practical.
Finally, we added two storage drawers at the ends of the bench. Each child now has their own easily accessible drawer, for putting away items even while seated, with a removable box for quick tidying up and a soft close feature to avoid catching little fingers.
A minimal hallway designed for everyday use
For a young family, the hallway is one of the busiest parts of the house. The existing hallway cabinetry was designed with poorly made hinge doors that swung out, blocking the way. Our designer Rowena saw first hand how hard it was to get children, with school and bike kits, through the entrance and into the home.
Replacing the existing hinge doors with sliding doors, and adding adjustable shelving in the lower cabinets gives the family plenty of flexible and above all easy to access storage for boots, helmets and other bits. To keep the whole space easy to clean, and let the beautiful original victorian tiled floor shine, we finished the cabinets in a light reflecting white laminate.
The main coat cupboard is built directly into the wall, with an adjustable peg board that disguises the fuse box area and gives plenty of flexibility as well as adjustable overhead shelving. The only hinge doors in this space, they feature Lozi’s signature pivot hinge designed to be discreet and durable.
And for finishing touches, inside the cupboard doors we added a cork board for important family reminders and a mirror, for one last quick check before heading to work.
Theo’s Room - A wardrobe that will grow with him
Designing with this young boy in mind, we have given Theo space he can enjoy for years to come. He needed plenty of room for play so we focused the wardrobes along a single wall, leaving the large open floorspace free for playtime and spreading out his toys. Complementing his existing desk setup by the window, the floor to ceiling design conceals easy to access and flexible storage space, making the most of the room’s height.
This wardrobe is a treasure trove of child centric design features: long cupboard handles have been slightly lowered so Theo can easily reach them, his school uniform can be hung out the night before on a pegboard inside one of the wardrobe doors, the mirror is hung at his height and the adjustable clothing rail is designed to grow with him.
Finally, two removable storage boxes are built straight into the structure, perfect for a quick tidy up at the end of a playdate. And as the final touch, everything is finished in a blue Azzurro Naxos Fenix laminate, chosen by Theo himself.
Mia’s Room - an elegant yet youthful space for a young girl
In their daughter’s room, we wanted to create a sophisticated space that would appeal for years to come, all without making it feel too grown up. Like in her brother’s room next door, we left most of the floorspace open, so she had more than enough room for play time and her precious drum kit.
Mia herself chose the finish: a light and sophisticated maple veneer, mirroring her mother’s workspace a couple of floors below. Again, her room is filled with many of the same child centric features as her brother’s: long handles placed slightly lower on the door, an interior mirror hung at child height and removable storage boxes for toys built directly into the cabinets.
A desk for homework and play
At the corner of this room, nestled at the end of her wardrobe, is Mia’s desk nook, bathed in light from the nearby window. A set up that will follow her through her childhood, the desk features a peg board with removable pegs and storage boxes as well as a large cork board for her to display treasured drawings and day to day school information.
A bed and reading nook to retreat to
In Mia’s favourite corner, a curved reading bench is hidden behind the wardrobe, creating a cosy reading nook for her to retreat to with her current favourite book. And finally, a curved bed frame with inbuilt storage adds the finishing touch to this elegant but youthful bedroom.
By focusing on exactly how the home was used, room by room, Olivia and Dan’s family life has has been transformed by simple, yet clever, design details. A testament to the power of ingenious design, this family is now free to focus on treasuring time spent at home together.
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Please find our guided pricing here
Each project varies depending on the size of your home, the complexity of the design and your choice of materials and finishes.
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Kitchen - U shaped dining bench with inbuilt storage
Entrance hallway - Coat and boot storage cupboards built into partition wall.
Daughter’s room - Wardrobe unit with reading nook and inbuilt desk. Double bed frame with wall mounted bedside table.
Son’s room - Wardrobe unit.
Design and development with our in-house designer-makers
Making, by our own team of makers on Hackney Road
Delivery and installation by the same team of makers
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Any home accessories shown including mattresses | decoration | electrics | plumbing | removal of any existing cabinetry or furniture
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After submitting your enquiry and confirming a quote that suits your budget, you'll be allocated one of our highly skilled designer-makers and they will schedule a site visit, where relevant. Based on your requirements and personal style, we'll provide a digital 2-D design to visualise the project outcome. Your designer-maker will ensure the experience is stress-free, supporting important design decisions and providing tailored, design-led solutions. All Lozi furniture is then made in-house and if appropriate, carefully installed by the designer-maker and workshop team.
Click here for a full breakdown of each stage.