Murray & Murray

Murray and Murray were invited to work with Grant Munro from Lorn Macneal Architects on renovating and extending a large Edwardian home on Edinburgh's Southside. This was an exciting project for Murray and Murray's design team and the architects, working with a client who is open to interesting ideas and with an eye for how good design can make day-to-day living more convenient.

Adam Peden, The head designer on this project at Murray and Murray admits “It is always a pleasure working alongside Lorn Macneal Architects. Their strong creativity and vision always make for a fresh and exciting response to the diverse range of projects they undertake.”

Grant Munro has been "recommending clients to Murray and Murray for many, many years." He says he enjoys working with Murray and Murray because "I know I can trust them to interpret what I want to a very high level of detail, and it's going to work. They're quite dynamic and innovative."

Murray and Murray worked very closely with Grant and was very much involved in discussing what the client needed in the kitchen, living area, study and master bedroom.

Adam recalls the challenge he faced as the contemporary kitchen extension was in such stark contrast to the period style of the original house. “But somehow Lorn Macneal Architects managed to fuse together the old with the new seamlessly.” “Our approach to the kitchen design was to use traditional, well crafted materials to reflect the integrity of the original house but to bring it into the 21st Century with the use of clean, simple lines & elements of stainless steel.”

Grant explains that, "one of the most innovative features was a 'wine wall' with a very large sliding door - now you see it, now you don't! Murray and Murray interpreted my drawings and turned it into a package they could manufacture on their premises and install on site."

Adam confesses this presented quite a challenge: "The client knew he wanted a wine storage area. As the design layout progressed the architect produced a set of drawings with the innovative idea of a 'wine wall', but he was not sure whether we would physically be able to make it. We researched the hardware, the materials and construction methods to make his vision possible."

One of the key features of the living room was a 'television wall'. Again, Grant and the client were delighted with what Murray and Murray were able to achieve. "The television wall had a particular set of requirements," Grant explains. "They took the drawings we had prepared and tailored the unit and its components to the very precise measurements that were needed and ensured the materials were tailored to the client's satisfaction.'

Grant was also very impressed with the company's work for the client's study. He says, "In the study I worked up the design into a series of 3D images and gave these to Murray and Murray. They turned these into a work package and the different elements just slotted into place. This shows their ability to provide a service and strive to achieve the best they can. They work things through."

Murray and Murray were also responsible for manufacturing and installing the furniture designed for the bedroom, based on Grant's ideas. Again, Murray and Murray demonstrated it was up to the challenge. As Grant explains, "they basically had to turn things on their head in order to make the concept work. They looked at my designs abstractly and were able to find the correct solution."

The bedroom of the house highlights why he and his clients trust Murray and Murray, "If there is a problem they will work out a way of solving it. In the bedroom, the clients wanted to achieve a less contemporary / more traditional feel. They worked with the designer at Murray and Murray to get the timber for their drawers and cupboard to match the beds. The designer thought he had matched the veneers, but there was a very slight discrepancy. Without hesitation, Murray and Murray said it was not up to standard and worked to achieve a precise match."

Summing up, Grant reveals why he works with Murray and Murray and recommends them to clients, "they are very friendly and accommodating people. They are very, very flexible. They are good designers and they think out of the box. They pay very close attention to detail and they produce excellent quality, bespoke products. They always deliver on time and produce to the very highest standards."

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