Often the most welcoming homes are the ones that find just the right balance of warmth and modernity but ultimately these things can be in the eye of the beholder.

However, when your business is to make the very most of a home that needs to appeal to as wide audience as possible then getting that balance right is imperative.

And creating that exact blend has become second nature to interior designer, Cath Olgivie of Show Business Interiors Ltd.

The Sandbach based creative has recently finished putting the final touches to the McInerney Homes showhome on the Kensington Gardens development in Blackburn.

McInerney, one of the leading housebuilders in the UK have high hopes for the success of the Kensington Gardens scheme and enlisted Cath’s expertise to highlight the fantastic possibilities of the properties available on site.

The fabulous Gleneagles home spaciously set over three floors offered a wealth of opportunity for Cath and her team to flex their creative muscles.
 
Cath explained: “The theme for Kensington Gardens was a traditional scheme that would appeal to families in the Blackburn area.

“After pretty extensive research we decided the overall colours should be black, white and soft grey with accents of hot pink used to balance and add drama and interest.

“As the Gleneagles is set over three floors we really dressed it out to show its maximum potential as done incorrectly properties such as this can look top heavy.

“In the bedrooms most of the furniture is fitted, and myself and Frank of a company called Images of Chester designed the layouts specifically to fit the profile and requirements.”

“Most of the furniture in the living areas was sourced from Denmark, so has clean lines and is predominantly in glass and chrome, but not in an edgy city style.”

One can not help but be dazzled by the finished product as a short tour of the property demonstrated what can be achieved within the generous space with a little thought.

The lounge boasts a pair of textured black sofas on chrome legs with occasional furniture in chrome and black glass. The accent in the room is fabulous striped hot pink wallpaper on the fire wall and the window blinds bring the colours together in a large floral print.

The first floor bedrooms (2 and 3) of the show home have been designed with children in mind. Bedroom 2 is aimed at young girl(s) with a shoe theme to the fabric and we used twin beds with fitted furniture in white with soft grey glass sliding doors.

Bedroom 3 is a boy’s room with fitted furniture in high gloss black showing a double bed, fitted sliding robes and a desk/workstation. Being a boy’s room, the pink was dropped in favour of black, white and grey with a snazzy zebra print as the accent.

The star of the Gleneagles though is the top floor with its main bedroom and en suite. It’s an elegant, luxurious room with a lot of the hot pink but with a very mature emphasis.

The Headboard and cushion fabric is particularly eye-catching with its patterned stripes of black, ivory, grey and hot pink, but with a subtle overprint of gold.

Tracey Lowe, sales manager for McInerney Homes North West, says: “This is our first development in the centre of Blackburn and the three-bedroom Gleneagles is a fabulous house and a wonderful mascot for Kensington Gardens.

“The build demonstrates the quality, space and exceptional value-for-money that comes as standard in a McInerney home.

“Cath has done an exceptional job and has really understood what the Gleneagles has to offer in terms of space and potential and were certain visitors will be knocked out by the quality of the fit-out.

“We have a unparalleled status across the North West for building beautiful new homes but this is the first opportunity we’ve had in Blackburn’s town centre to prove it.”

McInerney has transformed 1.73 acres of land off Crossfield Street to provide 28 three and four-bedroom semi-detached homes and townhouses and 18 contemporary two-bedroom apartments.

The development is in a wonderful elevated location looking towards the heart of Blackburn and less than a mile from the town’s shopping centre.

The development also lies within a Housing Market Renewal Area to the South East Area Development Framework contributing to the Borough-wide regeneration and greatly enhancing the neighbourhood and impacting positively on the region’s housing provision.

As one of the UK’s premier home builders, McInerney has an excellent reputation for quality, style and value-for-money.

Prices start from just £121,000 for an apartment and £149,995 for a three-bedroom house.