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Vroom Vroom: Inspiration For Your Luxury Garages
Because how else will you show off your classic car collection in style?
By | 1 year ago
Looking luxe and tasting plush? Think less storage space for old boxes of tat – these luxury garages will set your heart alight and get your engines going… Here are all the ideas, inspirations and expert tips to revamp that often overlooked space.
The Expert Take: Extending Your Home, Lighting & Space-Saving Techniques
‘Luxury garages are still very much a unique and uncommon addition to a home,’ says Laurence Holder, Bespoke Director at Octagon Developments. ‘They’re generally reserved for those with a particular passion for expensive, classic or incredible rare cars!’
‘Our Bespoke division have a few tips and tricks to maximise the unique spaces.’ Such garages are often an extension of the house in terms of finishes, with similar tiles or porcelain floors as the interior of the home fitted with underfloor heating (and reinforced to hold the weight of the vehicles), along with perfectly plastered walls – we’ve had clients hang fantastic artwork in their ‘car showrooms’, which gives a real gallery feel.’
Think of the rest of the home
‘Such garages are often an extension of the house in terms of finishes, with similar tiles or porcelain floors as the interior of the home fitted with underfloor heating (and reinforced to hold the weight of the vehicles), along with perfectly plastered walls – we’ve had clients hang fantastic artwork in their “car showrooms”, which gives a real gallery feel.’
A garage by Octagon’s Bespoke Division
Upgrade The Tech
‘Good lighting is key – spotlights are popular – as well as high tech weather sealed, roller shutter doors, which help to control the temperature and overall environment of the garage. Electric charging points are of course also gaining popularity, with extraction systems for exhaust fumes an essential requirement and the ventilation systems becoming more and more high tech and energy efficient.’
Savvy Space-saving
‘Space-saving techniques are popular within the London homes we’ve worked on – we have installed turntables both inside and out, and car lifts to take the vehicles down to the basement are relatively commonplace. We had a car lift installed on a project in Surrey where the Green Belt legislation precluded the use of a ramp, so the owner could fit multiple cars into the garage – they had plenty of height, but little floor space, so it was the ideal solution.’
Open Up The Space
‘Octagon worked with a client a few years ago who had a fleet of 12 classic cars – they were his absolute pride and joy! The showroom was filled with fibre glass pods for each individual car, and was housed next to the leisure suite in the basement of their Octagon home, with glass walls so the collection could be viewed from the pool/spa/sauna/games room – it made quite the impact!”
Get Inspired By These Luxury Garages, Along With More Tips
Consider Location And Materials
Matt Picot, Senior Architectural Technologist at HollandGreen Architecture says, ‘When designing a truly luxe garage, we first consider its location and how our clients want to use the space and showcase their cars. Full height glazing creates a gallery feel and opens up to maximise the indoor-outdoor connection.
We use quality materials and very high-end finishes, which add to the luxury vibe without detracting from the cars or being overly flashy. For a clean, minimalist finish, we bury all services in the design so that nothing is exposed apart from light-touch lighting tracks.’
CGI visualisations HollandGreen Architecture, Interiors & Landscapes
Up Your Storage Game
Investing in modular storage allows you to put away any unsightly tools and keep everything neatly organised – with the added bonus of visually coherent units. Draper Tools Bunker modules, £POA. drapertools.com
Take An Art Gallery Approach
Stop and admire your cars for a moment.
Architect and founder of Garage Deluxe Jonathan Clark recommends taking an art gallery approach. ‘We believe that rare cars are art forms in their own right. You could choose to set up a garage so that the cars are displayed in a perfect minimalist environment with great lighting or it can be a visually warmer setting with natural timbers and textures that compliment the cars without detracting from their beauty. Some collectors will like to relax with their cars in a club-like bar atmosphere while others will prefer the gallery approach.’
Tilt Your Head
A way to make more of your garage? Hang bikes up on the wall.
Rob Stone, MD of Garageflex, says, ‘Not only does this way of storing bikes take up much less floor space, you can get to each bike without having to move others and it frees up floor space. That allows you to add in gym equipment, or even a bike workshop area.’
Main image: HollandGreen Architecture
