Robertson Lindsay before and after.

We are often asked what rooms looked like before we have worked our magic on them. The photographs below show the striking transformations that good interior design can bring to a space.

New Town lateral apartment.

This large four bedroom apartment is situated in the city centre of Edinburgh’s New Town. It had been rented out to students for many years and was in need to a total redesign. We worked with James Robertson architect on the structural layout to transform it from a dark warren into a light filled open space. We designed and commissioned bespoke cabinetry, wardrobes and furniture throughout. Our design scheme was based on a classic modern New England style with neutrals and nautical blues to create a delightful family home. The owners were based abroad throughout the project and we worked together over zoom to deliver their brief.

Edinburgh Town House

Our clients purchased this town house at the start of lockdown and we developed the design remotely with them. Our brief was to create a feminine and elegant home filled with beautiful furniture and fabrics. We designed decorative glass and new doors for the entrance hall and dozens of pieces of bespoke furniture. The lighting was upgraded through the house and we used creative led lighting solutions to light the large rooms. Beautiful hand made curtains, hand knotted rugs, throws and cushions were made for the house and we also sourced and framed art to suit the rooms.

Chelsea Town House

This 5 storey town house in Chelsea hadn’t been touched since the 1980’s. It was completely redesigned for more modern living. The kitchen was moved to the first floor so that the doors open directly onto the terrace for alfresco dining. On the ground floor three small rooms were opened to create one larger entertaining space. Two extra bathrooms were added into the layout and a WC. The client had a super collection of antiques and art which was restored, reframed and incorporated into the design scheme. It was so much fun to work on a project with a client who wanted a strong use of colour throughout the house. We mixed masculine and feminine tones throughout and took inspiration for our design from the historical past of the house. The wood panelling in the ground floor was made in Scotland and installed in London. We designed and made over 200 pieces for this house and it was all successfully installed in one day. 

Scottish country house

We worked on the design for this Stirlingshire home just before lockdown. It is lovely to see it finished. The old kitchen was transformed into a cosy oak panelled snug with bespoke bookcases. A new kitchen was formed in the adjoining drawing room allowing for a large open space with a hand made kitchen island and dining table. The study was turned into a scullery, again hand made by a local cabinet maker. On the first floor two small room were knocked together to make a large bathroom and the master suite was redecorated with Lewis and Wood wallpaper. 

West Coast country cottage

When we first visited this Argyll home in 2018 it was just a shell and had been vacant for many years. Our client wanted to bring it back to life and turn it into a stylish county holiday retreat.  Our brief was for a comfortable, fairly contemporary space where our client could relax. We chose warm Scottish country colours throughout. The ochre yellow was inspired by seaweed that we found on a local beach. The living room is a double height space which needed a huge piece of artwork. A frame was made for this and a Zoffany wallpaper, which had been printed from a Scottish beach scene by artist Joanna Srokol, was set inside it. The artwork measured 2m by 3m and was shipped down to Argyll very carefully! 

Georgian Town House

This 3 storey listed town house required a full redesign including structural and room usage changes to make the layout and room proportions work for a modern luxury home.  The original galley kitchen was much too small, we suggested changing one of the principle rooms into a large kitchen-diner, the original separate dining room into a bedroom and the small galley kitchen into a second bathroom.  A new lighting design was installed through a combination of antique chandeliers and a modern LED lighting system.  Reproduction Georgian fireplaces and premium parquet floor tiling were installed together with 70+ bespoke made items of furniture, fittings and accessories.

The transformation brings emphasis back to the original features, and allows the light and space to bring exceptional luxury back into this grand home. 

Scottish Living Room 

Many Scottish living rooms are north facing making them feel quite dark and cold, this room had a particularly dark and cold feel to it.  Colour and cloths became our main focus for this redesign, using a combination of ‘warm’ colours we created a palette of inviting comfort where tactile fabrics and wallpapers create softness and luxury.  Working with our carpenter to install bespoke cabinetry to the alcoves, allows vital storage as well as balance and symmetry to the room, along with a new fire surround and glass fronted wood effect inset finishes the room. 

Argyll Country Home

This country home in the West cost of Scotland was in need of a redesign. Our client wanted to keep the existing kitchen so we suggested replacing the wall units with open shelving and changing the tiles, and colours. Design schemes were suggested for the bedrooms and the dark blue carpet replaced with a lighter neutral one. An unused utility room was turned into a fun games room with a pool table, dart board and large TV and console for gaming.

Redesign of Open Plan Family Kitchen

This Edinburgh family kitchen and living area had quite a stark feel, this wasn’t helped by the large black floor and rows of downlights. We redesigned the layout, lighting plan and sourced all fabrics and furniture. The finished room has a much better layout, atmospheric lighting for different times of day and the soft room colours are really relaxing.

Adding Character to a New Build

We worked with a family in Perthshire who were moving from a classic stone house into a new build. They wanted to ensure they had colour and character in their new home. This can be difficult to achieve in new builds as they often don’t have the features of traditional buildings. A strong but sympathetic colour scheme transformed the neutral rooms.

New Build Living Room Redesign

The living room in this new build house had uncomfortable proportions. The chimney breast felt too narrow for the room and the dark wooden mantlepiece took over the space. Our client was interested in extra storage in the room as well as bespoke cabinetry to transform the fireplace wall. We worked closely with our cabinet maker to design the shelving units. They were backlit with led lights to give a lovely soft atmospheric light at night.

Country House Kitchen Transformation

Our East Lothian clients are keen cooks and had been using a very small room in their house as a kitchen. We worked with them to look at options for relocating the kitchen into different rooms in the house. This music room was chosen as the room to use and we designed a kitchen layout for them to maximise this space. The brief was for a classic contemporary kitchen with a mixture of clean lines in the cabinetry and enough storage for their saucepans. Our clients like having items on display so their existing saucepan racks were recoloured to suit the warm slate grey walls.

Contemporary Bedroom in Georgian Apartment

Our clients have lived in this Edinburgh Georgian apartment for several years. They commissioned us to transform the bedroom into a more contemporary space. We painted the room in Slipper Satin from Farrow & Ball and then coordinated fabrics and textures to create a glamorous and relaxing room.

Contemporary Bedroom in Georgian Apartment

Our clients have lived in this Edinburgh Georgian apartment for several years. They commissioned us to transform the bedroom into a more contemporary space. We painted the room in Slipper Satin from Farrow & Ball and then coordinated fabrics and textures to create a glamorous and relaxing room.

Scottish Country House

Our client grew up in this East Lothian Georgian lodge in the sixties and had happy memories of the house. When she was planning to return to Scotland for her retirement she saw a ‘for sale’ board outside and was delighted to be able to buy her childhood home. The house was in quite a state of disrepair with damp patches and crumbling plaster throughout. We were commissioned to renovate the living room. Following the success of this project we were then instructed to design the rest of the house the following year.

Contemporary City Apartment

This listed apartment had no heating and a difficult layout. The apartment was fully renovated to suit the clients’ taste with a high level finish. Bespoke cabinetry, lighting design, upholstery and soft furnishings were supplied throughout.

Classic Feminine City Apartment

This Edinburgh apartment was in need of full renovation. Two bedrooms were knocked into one to create a large kitchen diner and the old kitchen was turned into a bedroom.

Chateau in Bordeaux

This beautiful French chateau was a dream job, the rooms were bare but in great condition. Our brief was to turn a plain boring interior in to the perfect French relaxing country house. The only challenge was that we had 6 weeks and that included shipping to France! We have great relationships with our craftsmen here so with such tight timescales it was best to have most of the bespoke items made in the UK.

About Robertson Lindsay Interiors

Sally Homan (Design Director) is an associate of the British Institute of Interior design and has developed a stunning portfolio of beautiful homes across the UK. Their work has been featured in many interior design magazines and they pride themselves on working with each clients personal tastes to create their dream home.

7 Dundonald Street, Edinburgh EH3 6RX

Tel: 0131 629 1661

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