A complementary renovation with Hamish Vincent Design
When Daniel Jones, founder of Hamish Vincent Design, found a home in Belsize Park, London, he was able to look beyond its tired interior to imagine what the space could become. The result is spectacular.
‘It hadn’t been touched for over 50 years,’ Daniel tells us as he shows us around, ‘which gave me the opportunity to put my stamp on it.’
Not that he wanted to start entirely afresh: ‘It was important to me to be complementary to the architecture and to the heritage of the building’ he explains. ‘It would once have been a house over five levels, and this flat occupies the raised ground floor with its almost four-metre-high ceilings.’
Respecting the building didn’t preclude some remodelling of the space, however (after all, changes had also taken place when the original house was converted into apartments).
‘I relocated the kitchen from what is now the second bedroom into the lounge area, because entertaining is important to me,’ says Daniel.
In doing so, he explored his love of using natural materials. ‘It was important for me to add my personality in materials that would stand the test of time,’ he explains.
‘I wanted to walk into the apartment and feel that it had been my home for the past 10 years, not something that had just been renovated. I was looking to inject old bones with new personality, and I think through the usage of natural materials it works well.
‘For instance, we used oak in the island with a fluted material which I hope could still be here in 40 years.
‘The island top is made from something called Arabescato Rosa, which is sourced from Italy. I really like the veining and the mix of natural colours. People can be scared of using natural materials, but I think the ageing process adds to the story.
'It's similar with Corston products, where they do age over time - natural materials do change. Something doesn't stay brand new forever, but that's part of the story that I like to create in my design.'
And what else attracted Daniel to our collections?
'Small details are important to consider when designing from a practical point of view and an aesthetic one. It's important to have a continuous theme.
'I like the ability with Corston to mix and match metals but keep that theme. For instance, in this flat, we've mixed bronze and antique brass.
'On the island we have the antique brass hardware, which ages nicely and complements the natural materials used there.'
Published on 10th December 2025
Featured products
