How Clayton & Company and Abbey New Homes created The Gainsborough at Kings Green, winner of Best Interior Design at the WhatHouse? Awards 2025.
When Abbey New Homes approached Clayton & Company to design the interiors for The Gainsborough show home at Kings Green, Upminster, they had a clear ambition: to create a flagship show home interior design that would anchor the development and resonate with discerning buyers in a competitive market.
Fast-forward to November 2025, and The Gainsborough has been named Best Interior Design at the prestigious WhatHouse? Awards 2025.
We caught up with Sophie Veale, the interior designer behind the scheme, to talk about the brief, the design journey, the value of being involved early – and how Clayton & Company continue supporting buyers after they move in.
Q: How did the brief for The Gainsborough first come to you?
Sophie: “Abbey wanted The Gainsborough to set the tone for Kings Green as a whole. It’s a substantial five-bedroom executive home over three floors, so the interior needed to feel appropriately premium, but still very much like a real family home.
We were designing for two main audiences – growing families and downsizers – and the brief was really about ‘quiet confidence’. Nothing overly showy, just a sophisticated, welcoming home that felt instantly liveable and photographed beautifully for the marketing.”
Q: At what stage were you brought into the project – and did that make a difference?
Sophie: “We were brought in at a really helpful early stage, before all the final layouts and details were set in stone. That made a huge difference to the end result.
When experienced interior designers are involved early, we can help shape how the home will actually work once it’s furnished. On The Gainsborough we were able to advise on things like furniture layouts, where lighting should fall, where sockets and switches would be most useful, and where it made sense to allow for built-in joinery.
Often it’s small, practical tweaks – shifting a pendant to sit perfectly over a dining table, making sure there are enough sockets around a media wall, or adjusting a doorway so a room flows better. But collectively those decisions have a big impact on how comfortable and considered the finished home feels.”
Q: What were the main objectives you were working towards?
Sophie: “There were a few key things. Firstly, the interior had to reflect The Gainsborough’s position at the top of the Kings Green collection. Secondly, it needed to bring to life the lifestyle Abbey were promising – generous space, greenery, great connections into London.
Commercially, we wanted the show home to work hard for the sales team: helping visitors understand the flow of the layout, highlighting premium features and giving them clear talking points. And finally, we were always thinking about how each space would look on camera for brochures, the website and portals.”
Q: Talk us through your overall show home interior design vision. Where did you start?
Sophie: “We always start with the architecture and the buyer. The Gainsborough is quite a grand, traditional-style house, so we leaned into that with classic forms, but kept the look fresh and contemporary.
The palette is very cohesive: soft neutrals, inky blues and warm brass accents that run throughout the property. That gives you a calm, elevated backdrop which we then layered with texture – boucle, linen, velvets – and sculptural lighting and artwork so the rooms never feel flat.
From day one I had three touchstones in mind: first impressions as you walk in, everyday liveability, and memorability – those distinctive design moments buyers will still be talking about when they leave.”
Q: Let’s start with first impressions. How did you approach the entrance hall?
Sophie: “That hallway is the beginning of the story, so it had to work hard. It’s a generous space, and we wanted people to feel that immediately.
We used full-height brass-framed mirrors to visually widen the hallway and bounce light around, and a simple console vignette to add personality without clutter. From there, we were very conscious about sightlines – you can see through to the main living spaces, so visitors get an instant sense of the depth and scale of the house. It’s subtle, but it really sets the tone of light, quality and space.”
Q: The sitting room has a very refined feel. What was the idea behind that space?
Sophie: “The front sitting room needed to feel like a grown-up, elegant space but still comfortable enough for everyday use.
We kept the base neutral and layered in texture – boucle upholstery, woven cushions, a tonal feature wall – and then introduced brass and glass elements through the tables and lighting to bring that ‘quiet luxury’. Bespoke joinery around the TV aperture gives you both display and storage, with integrated lighting for evening atmosphere.
My aim was that you could imagine curling up there with a book, but also hosting friends for a drink before dinner.”
Q: Homeworking is now a big factor for buyers. How did you tackle the study?
Sophie: “We really didn’t want the study to feel like an afterthought – a random desk in a spare room.
The brief was for a proper, aspirational workspace, so we created a cocooning scheme with a soft neutral palette, tactile fabrics and a stand-out circular chair. Bespoke joinery wraps the corner, giving you a generous desk and plenty of storage, and the styling is quite pared back and graphic to keep it feeling calm and focused.
The message is: this is somewhere you’d genuinely enjoy working every day, and it proves the house can support modern working patterns.”
Q: The open-plan kitchen, dining and family area is the heart of the home. What were your priorities there?
Sophie: “Absolutely – it’s the hub, so it had to be spot on.
In the kitchen, we combined classic cabinetry with contemporary details and statement pendant lighting over a generous island. Brass fittings and marble-effect worktops signal quality, while integrated appliances and lots of storage keep it practical.
We then zoned the rest of the space really carefully. The dining area is positioned to make the most of the garden views and can flex from everyday meals to entertaining. The family seating area is more relaxed and is oriented towards the patio, so you can imagine morning coffee with the doors open.
By using furniture placement, lighting and colour blocking, we showed how a large open space can feel both connected and comfortably divided into distinct areas.”
Q: How did you want the principal bedroom suite to feel?
Sophie: “The principal suite was all about a restorative, hotel-inspired feel. We went for a very serene palette of warm neutrals with deep blue accents and refined metallic details.
A tailored headboard wall anchors the bed, layered bedding adds softness and comfort, and the lighting is quite luxurious but not flashy. The adjoining dressing area and en-suite continue that sense of indulgence – generous storage, beautiful finishes, considered brassware.
I wanted buyers to walk in and instantly imagine winding down there at the end of the day.”
Q: The children’s rooms are particularly distinctive. What was your thinking there?
Sophie: “The children’s rooms were some of my favourite spaces to design. We wanted each one to tell its own story but still feel in keeping with the rest of the house.
There’s a fairytale-inspired room with a bespoke castle headboard and integrated storage, which is wonderful for younger children. Then we have a rugby-themed teenager’s room, with a striking mural and colour palette that nods to Upminster Rugby Club – that local reference gives it real character and ties the home to its setting.
The nursery is designed to appeal to visiting grandchildren or a growing family; it’s playful but still quite timeless. Together they show how the house can evolve with a family over time, which is really powerful from a sales perspective.”
Q: And the top floor? It feels quite different again.
Sophie: “Yes, the second floor was our chance to shift the mood slightly and show the flexibility of the home.
We have an expansive guest suite and a separate living area styled as a cinema room with a private bar. The palette is deeper and more dramatic – rich blues, tactile upholstery, statement lighting – which immediately signals that this is a special, grown-up retreat.
It demonstrates that the top floor could be used for older children, extended family, hobbies or even a work-from-home hub. The key message is versatility.”
Q: How did the collaboration with Abbey New Homes work in practice?
Sophie: “It was very collaborative from the start. Abbey already had a really strong specification for The Gainsborough, so our job was to complement that – choosing furniture, artwork and accessories that showed the spec at its best.
Because we were involved early, we could also act as a bit of a bridge between the technical and sales sides of the project – making sure decisions about layouts, lighting and joinery were always supporting the way buyers would actually experience the home.
We worked closely with Abbey’s marketing team too, thinking about photography early on: which angles we’d want, what vignettes would be most impactful, how rooms would read on the website and in the brochure. That meant the interior didn’t just look good in person – it translated brilliantly into all their marketing materials and, of course, into the WhatHouse? Awards entry.”
Q: Do you stay involved after buyers reserve a home?
Sophie: “Wherever we can, yes – and that was an important part of the Kings Green story.
For this development, Abbey and Clayton & Company offered every buyer a complimentary two-hour interior design consultation. It meant purchasers could sit down with a designer, talk through how they live, and get practical advice on layouts, colours and key pieces for their own home – whether they wanted to echo the show home look or do something completely personal.
For buyers, it takes some of the stress out of those early decisions. For Abbey, it extends the positive experience of the show home into the after-sales journey and reinforces that sense of care and quality long after exchange.
Beyond that initial consultation, Clayton & Company also offer a full interior design service for private clients – including Kings Green purchasers who want more in-depth help with room schemes and whole-home projects. It’s a natural extension of what we do for developers, just taken right through into how people live day to day.”
Q: What does winning Best Interior Design at the WhatHouse? Awards mean to you and the team?
Sophie: “It’s a huge honour. The WhatHouse? Awards are such a key benchmark in the industry, so to have The Gainsborough recognised in this way is incredibly rewarding for everyone involved.
For Abbey, it reinforces their reputation for quality and thoughtful design. For us at Clayton & Company, it’s a lovely validation of the way we approach show homes – not just as beautiful spaces, but as carefully considered tools that support sales, strengthen a developer’s brand and genuinely work for the families who eventually live there.”
Photo: Philippa Gedge Photography
Planning your next show home?
The Gainsborough at Kings Green shows what’s possible when a clear brief, early interior design involvement and a strong specification all come together.
If you’re planning a new development or flagship show home and would like to explore how Clayton & Company can help you:
- Elevate the perceived value of your homes
- Create interiors that photograph and film beautifully
- Map furniture, lighting and layouts so spaces work effortlessly in real life
- Offer buyers added value through tailored interior design support
Get in touch with the Clayton & Company team to discuss your next project.
Find out more about our show home interior design services
Call – 01761 412 255
Email – enquiries@clayton.co.uk