Interiors: Life is Swede at Viceroy

THE weather outside might still be frightful, but whether it’s rain, hail or snow this season, the décor at the new Viceroy showhome at Cruden Homes’ Evolution development, Edinburgh, looks forward to spring, with a palette of sunshine colours and light pastels. What’s more, the entire look has been achieved using Ikea furniture and accessories, showing that even on a budget, it is easy to get a stylish interior.

Situated within the Gracemount suburb of the capital, Evolution offers a choice of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom houses. The Viceroy is one of the latter, a two-bedroom terrace which has just opened to show potential buyers what can be achieved with bright colours.

The living area comprises a lounge and adjoining kitchen, with teak- effect wood flooring running the entire length of the rooms to add to the feel of flow. The predominant white walls create a very clean look, while the clever use of a block of colour, in sage green, on one wall of the lounge acts as a natural border separating this room from the kitchen. A smoky grey hessian sofa and matching armchair are broken up with flashes of colour by the striped pale blue, turquoise and green scatter cushions. A solid beech coffee table is placed on top of a cream rug in the centre of the room, while a matching TV unit is home to a large plasma screen.

In the corner of the room, between the lounge and kitchen area, there is plenty of space for a four-seat dining table and chairs.

The kitchen is made up of fully fitted white units complementing the dark wood work surfaces, with a chrome oven, hob, cooker hood and splash-back. Neighbouring the kitchen is a separate utility room, finished to match the kitchen, and there is also a downstairs cloakroom.

The French doors at the end of the lounge and the kitchen windows create a living space flooded with natural light. The look as a whole suggests Scandinavian simplicity, so it is not surprising to find that Ikea is involved.

Hazel Davies, sales and marketing manager at Cruden Homes (East), says, “We previously commissioned an Ikes design for our showhome at Shortbread Court and it was extremely well received. I think buyers appreciate seeing a lovely interior, where they can easily incorporate many of the elements that appeal to them within their own new home without it being expensive to achieve.”

The upper floor of the Viceroy is just as bright and warm. Within the main-bedroom, and similar to the ground-floor rooms, white dominates the walls. However, the feature wall is painted in soft lilac, which matches with the plum, lavender and pink sorbet tones of the soft furnishings.

The cream carpet harmonises the vibrant colours of the bedclothes with natural wood and white furniture pieces. This bedroom has the added advantage of two separate windows and a fitted wardrobe with mirrored doors, so it is light-filled.

The second bedroom is a bit less Scandanavian, with a block of bold azure on one wall, a crimson throw over the white bed linen and an ebony glass vase which, with its red geraniums, help evoke a Mediterranean look.

A family bathroom and two highly practical storage cupboards complete the upper floor of the Viceroy.

The Evolution project, when complete, will have a landscaped exterior that will include home-zone areas and open green spaces for all residents to enjoy.

Hazel Davies comments: “Evolution aims to provide a range of quality homes that are in much demand in this part of this city. We are looking at the long-term picture, as we want to create a sustainable environment for people to enjoy – in essence, a neighbourhood where residents feel a growing sense of community.

So it’s important for us to pay the same attention to detail to the external surroundings of the development, as we have with the internals of the properties, if we want to achieve this.”

Evolution will further contribute to the substantial regeneration taking place in this part of the city. The suburb provides an established setting which includes schools, shops and leisure facilities as well as excellent road and transport links to the city centre and beyond.

Evolution properties currently released cost £99,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, with a shared equity initiative. In addition to this, the company has a number of incentives available.

• For further information on Evolution or to visit the new Viceroy showhome, please call Cruden Homes on 0845 220 2525 or visit www.crudenhomes.co.uk/evolution.