WOW!house 2025
Unveiled at WOW!house 2025, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, The Courtyard Room was our take on practical country living, designed to bring British countryside charm into a city home.
WOW!house, an immersive show house running throughout June at Chelsea Harbour’s Design Centre, featured 21 full-sized rooms and outdoor spaces.
For WOW!house 2025, we were delighted to design The Courtyard Room, a quintessential ‘back-of-house’ space rooted in our belief that beauty and practicality should go hand in hand. Drawing on our experience designing functional family homes, we created a space to support everyday life, from muddy boots and dogs to flower cutting, and rinsing garden vegetables.
"The Sims Hilditch Courtyard Room artfully combines beauty with all the functionality required by a busy family."
Giles Kime, Country Life
We envisioned the space as a rear entrance hall leading into a boot room and dedicated dog space, serving a practical purpose while maintaining a considered material palette and timeless design. The scheme combined antique British pieces, mid-century finds, and bespoke elements from across Europe, united by a warm, layered aesthetic.
At the heart of the entrance hall stood a large antique dresser and a marble sink by Ca’ Pietra Artisans. A bespoke draper’s table by Titchmarsh & Goodwin anchored the room, with drawers for car keys and a surface for fresh blooms. ‘Blackberry’ wallpaper by Marthe Armitage, hand-selected by Emma Sims-Hilditch for its botanical motif, dressed the walls. A Swedish Mora clock, joinery hand-painted by Tess Newall, and a Hastshilp dog bed for the imagined owners’ dog, Astrid, added charm and character.
Two fixed panels by Titchmarsh & Goodwin, inspired by traditional country houses, created elegant partitions that defined the entrance and boot room as distinct spaces. The boot room featured bespoke joinery designed to house muddy Le Chameau boots, soggy Barbour coats, and all the everyday paraphernalia that comes with this hardworking heart of the home.
Our dog wash room was a celebration of thoughtful design and country living, created with our four-legged companions in mind. “This refined-yet-whimsical boot room and dog snug offers a fresh twist on classic British country house style, complete with a marble sink for muddy veggies and an elegant dog shower for equally muddy paws.”
The shower was clad in 950 hand-painted tiles from our White Hart Collection with Marlborough Tiles, inspired by the ever-changing Cotswold seasons, home to our design studio. A Barber Wilsons shower tap and pot filler added functional elegance, while durable Ca’ Pietra floor tiles grounded the space.
Finished with antiques, bamboo accessories by Chelsea Textiles, and a bespoke Lorfords Contemporary dog bed, the room balanced quality with timeless appeal.
Astrid brought the space to life, so the final touch - a jar of bespoke Sims Hilditch dog biscuits - reflected our belief that the most memorable homes are designed with warmth, purpose, and with every family member in mind. “Dedicating a space to canine comfort feels modern—slightly indulgent, but irresistibly joyful."
With Special Thanks
Our vision for this space has been brought to life with the support of our wonderful partners and suppliers who helped make it a reality.
Lighting
Charles Edwards, John Cullen Lighting, Soane Britain, Vaughan Designs.
Joinery, Hardware & Architectural Details
Arcadia Antiques, Barber Wilsons & Co., Ca' Pietra Artisans, Decwood Trim, Matilda Goad, Pinxton & Co., Studio Atkinson, The Swedish Interior, Titchmarsh & Goodwin.
Furniture
Clock House Furniture, George Smith, Jamb, Lorfords Contemporary, Neptune, Titchmarsh & Goodwin.
Fabrics, Textiles & Wallpaper
Chelsea Textiles, KLS, Lewis & Wood, Marthe Armitage, Molly Mahon, Pierre Frey, Romo Fabrics, Samuel & Sons, Schumacher, The Fabric Collective, Thibaut.
Flooring, Surfaces & Paint
Benjamin Moore, Ca' Pietra Artisans, Colour Republic, Havwoods, Marlborough Tiles.
Accessories
1st Dibs, Beth Gunwalloe, Daisy Sims-Hilditch, Fenella Interior Design, Garden Trading, Hastshlip, Jo Malone, Le Chameau, Lorfords Antiques, Neptune, Nick Jones Antiques, Pelican House, Tilly's, Trudy Shard, Wadswick.
Installation & Site Services
CC Construction, Hare & Humphreys, Lucy Mulliner, RDH Packing, Tess Newall.
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