Part of a large family estate in the Surrey Hills, this detached Georgian Home overlooks a beautiful green belt conservation area.

The 14,000 sq ft home includes a 15m indoor swimming pool and was designed as a vacation home for a family who visits during the school holidays. The client, an Emirati family with 4 young children, wanted the home to feel very English and the design to be appropriate for the location and heritage of the building while maintaining their own Middle Eastern aesthetic.

Symmetry in Georgian properties is essential, so this was a natural inspiration throughout. There is also a very classic and understated architectural backdrop throughout, which the Laura Hammett team restored and enhanced. As the clients are a young family, the team wanted to create a balance of classic and contemporary, so the home can feel timeless yet still very personal.

The large entrance hall is very imposing and has a long elevation of curved French doors leading out onto the terrace overlooking the Surrey Hills. To the right are the formal living areas with a grand dining room with paneled walls, a light touch of gilding and opulent chandelier; the elegant formal reception room with large windows on three walls and a fireplace; and then the glamorous backlit onyx powder room. 

The left side of the house is the more informal family side, with a large kitchen where the team did a contemporary take on a classic country kitchen, complete with a hanging pan rack dressed with antique copper pans; a sun-filled family TV room; a cozy suede paneled cinema room; boot room; utility room and staff catering kitchen. This area leads you down into the pool and spa which has sliding doors and open out onto the sunbathing deck. There is a relaxation area overlooking the pool and a series of changing rooms, steam room, massage room, gym and other wellness areas. This level feels much more contemporary than the rest of the house.

There are a number of staircases in the house but the main one is off the entrance hall on the formal side and is an original architectural feature. It takes you up to the first floor where there is a large library with more full-height windows and wall-to-wall backlit bookshelves and a grand piano.

The master suite consists of a large master bedroom with a curved bay window and a bespoke laser cut leather headboard wall and four-posted bed; separate his and hers dressing rooms and a large marble bathroom. There are 6 additional bedroom suites for the children and guests and a bright and colourful kids’ playroom on the top floor.

Despite the stately home spanning 14,000 sq ft, interior Designer Laura Hammett managed to create both formal and intimate pockets of social and living spaces for the young family.

The house feels very opulent and grand in many areas but contains lots of practical, family, and child-friendly spaces. The dining room, formal living room, and master suite exude elegance and use specialist fabrics and materials, whereas the family spaces feel much more relaxed and welcoming. The entire home is bathed in natural light coming in through the grand Georgian windows in each room, creating a light and airy atmosphere throughout.

Photography by Julian Abram