Design
Ten kitchen design tips when planning your dream kitchen
As well as choosing cabinets you’ll love every time you look at them, there are practical considerations to bear in mind: Ergonomics Having an ergonomic kitchen is by far the…
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Feline Friendly Furnishings – Part I
Cats are generally clean, (fairly) low maintenance pets, however some of their more instinctive habits can cause problems in your home or to your new furnishings. Scratching, curtain-climbing and ‘accidents’…
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Absolute Project Management – Now in Brighton
We are excited to announce that we have started designing and managing renovation projects in Brighton & Hove! Read on to see our latest finished projects & design inspiration from the…
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Considerations if you’re planning to move stairs in your home
Re-designing the staircase in your home can unlock a whole world of design potential. The new design must comply with Building Regulations Part K. The requirements are simple - stairs…
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Intelligent Lighting – key Considerations
With significant investment into ‘smart home’ technology by all the big tech giants, Intelligent lighting is a trend that is here to stay – and it is one we’re excited…
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Bright Ideas from Brighton
Jo lives in Brighton (Hove actually…) – an inspiring space filled with creative people, bright colours, and natural beauty. Three interior design ideas inspired by the seaside city: Maximalism –…
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The case for Intelligent Lighting
With significant investment into ‘smart home’ technology by all the big tech giants, Intelligent lighting is a trend that is here to stay - and one I'm excited about. Here's…
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Tom Raffield at Morgan Furniture – Clerkenwell design week
We at Absolute have long been admirers of Tom Raffield Lighting. The beautiful organic, decorative forms in steamed timber fit extremely well with our Biophilic ideologies and work particularly beautifully…
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Clerkenwell Design Week 2019
Clerkenwell Design Week 2019 was bigger and better than ever this year. Here is a round up of our highlights; Sustainability & Natural Materials Sustainability was a theme for the…
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Getting Started on Pinterest – Part 2
Pinterest is a great tool for organising & communicating your ideas for your renovation. If you are ready to dive in but not sure how to get started, here is…
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Getting Started on Pinterest – Part 1
Pinterest is a great tool for organising & communicating your ideas for your renovation. It can also be a great way to get inspiration – used with a little caution!…
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Sustainable Technology for the home
With climate change occurring at an alarming rate, many more of us are looking into ways of reducing our energy consumption in our homes. Having been asked to work on…
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What is the BIID and why is it relevant?
Absolute Project Management is now a BIID Registered Practice, this means the business meets the national professional standards for interior design. While it’s not compulsory for Interior Designers to register,…
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Design for an Ageing Population
In the UK, the population is ageing since we’re typically living longer and having children later. Whilst living longer is great, quality of life and being able to stay in…
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Lighting with Pendants
We love a pendant light – they are a wonderful way to light a space while creating an eye-catching feature, even when not in use. As with all lighting, there…
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Lighting with downlights
Downlights: lighting friend or foe? These popular (ubiquitous?) light fittings can be used to work well to provide ambient light in spaces where decorative pendants aren’t practical or don’t fit…
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Pinterest Pipe Dreams vs Regulation Reality
Clients often gather images of the look they want to achieve with their renovation into a virtual scrapbook on Pinterest or Houzz. These are excellent tools to provide ideas that convey…
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Love your home
Whether it is a place to recharge, something glamorous to show off or just ‘home’- there should be many reasons to love your home. After all, it’s supposed to be where…
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What to do when problems arise during a renovation – Part 2
Firstly, don’t panic! Almost every renovation, however well planned, suffers a few hiccups. Some are easily solved; some require time, effort and ingenuity to work around. As project managers, an important…
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Interiors: What will 2019 Bring?
Our predictions for 2018 were spot on. Read on for our take on the Interior Design Trends for 2019 and beyond. 2018 in review We predicted: Terrazzo flooring: This was…
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Life After Renovation
From idolising island units to squeezing in en suites, guest blogger Tracey Petherick tells us what it’s like living in her renovated property. Island Life For a long time,…
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Interior Design Lingo Bingo
Learn the Lingo, with Interior Design Bingo! As with most industries, home renovation uses specialist language to describe parts, processes or details. Whilst some of these words/ phrases are well…
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Stress-free Renovation
Liz, our Associate Director, has recently had some renovation work done at her home, by our favourite building contractor. Her top tips for a stress-free build: Plan Ensure: All your…
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Beginner’s guide to lighting
Absolute Project Management’s beginner’s guide to lighting Lighting should be one of the first things you (or your designer) consider when renovating or redesigning your home. Lighting can make or…
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Embracing the Dark
Working in central London, where every square centimetre of space is precious, has made us experts in making the most of dark spaces. We’ve transformed numerous dark basements and sun-starved rooms…
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Inspiration from 100% Design
The Absolute team were particularly inspired by this year’s selection of innovative and beautifully creative designs shown throughout 100% Design. We’ve now had time to digest and dissect our highlights…
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Joinery Design Challenge
Calling all Londoners - win a joinery design! We will be choosing the most interesting joinery challenge you throw at us and the winner will get 4 hours of…
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2018 Highlights so far
As we head into to the Autumn, we’re taking a moment to reflect on some of the highlights of the year so far. Fabulous Finished projects We’ve recently finished some…
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Cooling your home in a heatwave – Natural Cooling
If like most (sweaty) people in London this summer, you have found yourself pondering all possible ways to make your home cooler- this blog series is for you! In this…
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Temporary Decorating
Following her recent move to a seaside rental flat, Jo shares her tips for decorating without putting holes in the wall – useful for Home Staging, student rooms and rental…
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How to Glamp like an interior designer
Whether you’re having a family camping weekend, a couple’s glamping retreat or going to a festival- here’s our top tips on how to make camping as luxurious and comfortable as…
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Clerkenwell Design Week
The Absolute team loved the buzzing atmosphere and the range of innovative, creative designs we found at Clerkenwell Design Week 2018. We’ve now had time to digest and reflect on…
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English Seaside Style
We love spending time on the English coast (St. Mawes in Cornwall, Torquay in Devon, Emsworth in Hampshire and Blakeney in Norfolk are particular favourites). Here’s how to incorporate the…
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Secondary Glazing
What is it and why would you use it? In the UK, there are almost 10,000 Conservation Areas, many of which restrict the changes that can be made to the…
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Windows – and what we know about them
Sash windows Many of our design and renovation projects are in period houses and, assuming the original windows have been retained, these will be sliding sash systems. These are two…
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Inside Track on Absolute Project Management
This week we meet Cat Hoad, founder and director of Absolute Project Management. Find out how she got into the interior design business, where she gets her inspiration and how…
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Vietnamese Style
Following a recent trip through Vietnam, Liz describes the wonderful artwork, culture and colours of this beautiful country, and outlines how to introduce elements of Vietnamese culture into your own…
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How to survive a renovation – Part 2
Serial renovator Tracey Petherick continues her three-part series on home-build survival tactics, with good-to-know tips on housekeeping, moving rooms and working to a budget. Housekeeping ground rules …
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How to survive a renovation- Part 1
With a ground-floor extension, a loft conversion and a full house renovation under her (tool)belt, writer Tracey Petherick has picked up a few tips on how to survive a build.…
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Moroccan Style
Following a recent trip to Morocco, Cat shares her favourite interior features and tips to recreate the fabulous exotic style in your own home... Following my wonderful trip to Oualidia…
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Home Renovation and Pets
Pets and renovation London Around 44% of UK household own a pet, so their needs can be an important part of the design and renovation process. From design to site…
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What will 2018 bring?
2017 has been a year of rich colours, marble and traditional furnishings throughout the interior design world. This was in part inspired by a desire to return to the past…
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Choosing your New Kitchen
Your New Kitchen Choosing a new kitchen is an exciting opportunity to create a beautiful, functional and welcoming space in your home. But there’s so much to think about –…
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Fire protection considerations when renovating
Following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, fire safety is firmly at the top of every designer’s list of considerations. This journal entry: reviews fire risks in the contemporary home,…
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Wood Flooring, Colour and Texture
Last year we published a series of journals about issues to consider when choosing wood flooring for your home. This is a great overview (and well worth a read!) -…
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Paint, Pigment and Provenance
Absolute have been learning more about paint… We were fascinated to discover that how it is (and was historically) manufactured actually influences the colour palette. Here’s an overview of our…
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How Much Will it Cost… Exactly??
At Absolute, we often receive enquiries about total project costs. A typical query might be ‘we have just bought a 3 bedroom flat in Islington and want to renovate it…
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Hygge and Happiness
As the nights draw in and the scarves come back out, here’s some Danish advice on how to make your home cosy and welcoming this winter. Denmark is the happiest…
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New Kitchen, Part 2 – Things to Consider
Welcome to Part 2 of our two-part series on how to go about designing and installing a new kitchen. Part 1 covers all things budget; how to reduce costs, where…
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New Kitchen, Part 1 – Budget
Welcome to Part 1 of our two-part series on how to go about designing and installing a new kitchen. Part 1 covers all things budget; how to reduce costs,…
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Wooden Flooring, Part 3 – Maintenance, labour and sustainability considerations
There is lots of choice when it comes to wooden flooring. See the following maintenance, labour and sustainability considerations to help you make the best choice... TYPE OF BOARD Solid…
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Wooden Flooring, Part 2 – Aesthetic choices
There is lots of choice when it comes to wooden flooring. See the following Aesthetic considerations to help you make the best choice for your style, space and budget...…
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Wooden Flooring, Part 1 – Things to consider
Often our clients will ask for a wood floor but have few ideas on finish/ type of wood or type of board. They will likely have a view on appearance-…
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Biophilic Design
Absolute Project Management attended Eco Build 2015 in London where we saw a great talk on Biophilic Design by Oliver Heath - Founder of Health Design and Author of Urban…
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A sofa is for life, not just for Christmas!
A sofa is for life, not just for Christmas; How to buy furniture that lasts… At this time of year in particular you can be ‘panicked’ into buying furniture to…
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