Interior Design

Notes on Design With Mary Graham

In this month’s Notes on Design, Mary Graham considers the role of joinery and storage in an interior, from making the most of awkward spaces to knowing when not to build in at all.

Joinery and Storage Solutions

What is your approach to joinery and storage within an interior, and how do you balance practicality with beauty?

We always think about storage as part of the overall design of a room, rather than something that is added afterwards. The practical decisions come first: what needs to be stored, how often it is used and how the space needs to function. From there, we can think about the materials, colour, hardware and detailing that will make it feel like part of the room.

We tend to like a mixture of fitted and freestanding storage. It gives a room flexibility and allows you to introduce pieces with character and history. Even the most hardworking storage can contribute to the overall design, rather than simply being something functional that needs to be hidden away. For this reason, we always consider the use of antiques when discussing storage requirements with clients. Good storage doesn’t always have to mean bespoke.

What makes a piece of joinery feel considered rather than purely functional?

Proportion is incredibly important. We always look at how a piece relates to the architecture and to everything around it. Often, people don’t go big enough! If you are going to have a piece of joinery, I think it is often better to make a proper feature of it rather than have something that feels slightly lost in the room.

I think good joinery shouldn’t necessarily be the focus; it should feel as though it belongs in the room. We also like to introduce variation, rather than having every piece of furniture and storage look the same. A freestanding cupboard or an antique piece can bring balance.

How do you approach storage in older homes, particularly when working with the existing architecture and proportions?

With older houses, we tend to look for opportunities to work with what is already there. Chimney breasts, alcoves, cupboards under stairs and less obvious spaces can all provide useful storage. The challenge is to make the house work for modern life without losing the architectural details and proportions that give it character. Sometimes, it is about considering the function and layout of rooms - often better to have a suite of small rooms all with different storage functions (like a kitchen, pantry and larder) rather than one big room with lots of built in furniture.

We are not interested in making a period property feel historically accurate at the expense of how people live now. It is about finding a balance, so that the storage feels appropriate to the house while still being practical and comfortable for the people who live there. This is where practical antiques can play and important role, and never underestimate the usefulness of a divan bed base with drawers!

How can joinery be used to make the most of a space, particularly where the layout presents challenges?

I think it is often the awkward spaces that produce the most interesting solutions. Rather than trying to disguise every difficult corner or uneven wall, we look at how we can work with it. Good joinery can make use of spaces that might otherwise be wasted, while also helping a room feel more ordered. In modern buildings it’s a great way of rationalising and disguising details like unsightly aircondidtiong units and AV equipment.

It is important to look at the space as a whole. Sometimes a difficult area needs a clever storage solution, but sometimes leaving it alone is the better decision. Not every gap needs to be filled.

Do you prefer storage to be concealed or visible, and how do you decide between the two?

A mixture is usually best. There are plenty of things that need to be hidden away, particularly the less attractive practical elements of everyday life, but I like open storage because it allows you to introduce the things that make a house feel personal.

Books, ceramics, artwork and collections of objects all bring character, so we like to have somewhere to display them alongside the more practical closed storage. It is that combination that stops a room from feeling too uniform and allows the people who live there to put their own stamp on it.

What role does craftsmanship play in good joinery, and what should you look for when commissioning bespoke pieces?

Craftsmanship makes an enormous difference. With bespoke joinery, the quality of the detailing and construction will ultimately determine how well it works and how long it lasts.

It is worth looking at the small things: how the doors and drawers operate, the quality of the hardware, the finish and how neatly everything has been resolved. These details make a piece feel properly made and give it longevity. Good craftsmanship should be evident in both how something looks and how it works. Joinery is a huge expense on a project but it is never the place to try and scrimp and save. You will regret it later!

What are your golden rules for creating storage that feels timeless and works beautifully for everyday life?

Think first about how you actually live and what you genuinely need to store. This requires honesty about how tidy and organised you actually are. Then think about the room as a whole rather than designing the storage in isolation. I always want practicality, but I don’t want a house to feel as though it has been designed entirely around storage.

And I think it is important to leave some room for things to evolve. A house shouldn’t feel finished on the day you move in. The best interiors develop over time, so whilst the bones need to be right, there should always be space for the unexpected piece, the antique you fall in love with, or something you inherit along the way.