We listen. We design. You smile.
We love design!
There’s nothing more rewarding than the buzz we get when a client is beaming with joy at what we’ve helped them to create.
From our studios in Windsor and Reading, we work with private homeowners and commercial clients across East Berkshire and surrounding areas including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey.
Investing sometimes millions of pounds in your own home or a commercial project is a major undertaking. Using our empathy, skill and experience we take as much of the stress out of building design and construction as possible.
We’re easy to talk to and great at listening. And, we ask all the right questions, challenging you when we need to. We want to understand you from the outset, deal with your concerns and offer solutions and enable you to make educated decisions.
Our service is reassuringly transparent and entirely personal to you.
Our Work:
Have a look at some of the amazing projects we've been lucky enough to work on (which are of course only made possibly be having amazing clients!). If you would like to see more, visit our Projects section
or get in touch.
Client Testimonials:
“Although we didn’t know exactly what would suit us when we started we put our faith in Chris & the team, who helped us find what scale and design of project we actually wanted - it wasn’t until we’d seen all their sketched designs that we could decide! We had been considering moving as we couldn’t see how it might be improved but now we’re completely in love with it as the house and the way we use it has changed so dramatically.”
Latest Blogs:
Artichoke is made up of a team of architects passionate about designing great projects for our clients such as our project near Guildford. We find that that, as architects, we create the exciting internal spaces and elevations, but it’s the landscape design that truly anchors a project to the site, bringing it into harmony with its surroundings. Artichoke worked with the clients over a number of years to design and build a new house that replaced a worn-out house half the size. The finished house - as you can see - was a great success and the final mature landscaping helps deliver that total project package. On this project, as the house neared completion on site, we are thrilled to see our projects take on new life when a talented landscape designer such as Maya at Flaura (https://www.flaura.design/) steps in. Her role isn’t just about “adding greenery” – it’s about weaving a vision that complements and enhances the built environment, elevating the whole project in ways that extend beyond just the building itself. As with an Artichoke’s design process on a project, a good landscape design often begins with a spark of creative vision, this turns the landscape into an integral part of the architecture and making the structure feel as if it belongs exactly where it is. As with us, their initial concept takes shape in the form of sketches, outlining different ways in which the outdoor spaces might integrate with the building, balancing lines, textures, and forms with the natural world. From these sketches, Flaura created 3D models (https://youtu.be/n8ON393iDuA?feature=shared), allowing the clients to truly see how their project will live and breathe in its surroundings. We find that on most - if not all – projects, this modelling of a scheme helps our clients to appreciate the design and understand how we are proposing the building go together. These models reveal not only how greenery, water features, or pathways will enhance the architecture but how the landscape will evolve and mature. It’s in this stage that clients start to get a sense of how they’ll experience the space on a daily basis – walking a garden path in the morning, enjoying natural shade in the afternoon, or watching evening light reflect off a water feature that leads the eye towards the horizon. Once the vision becomes a reality, the landscape design helped the house we designed achieve its goal as a truly liveable, inviting experience. Plants and trees don’t just enhance the home visually; they create a sense of calm and connection to nature, drawing people outside, grounding them, and creating a sanctuary within any urban or rural environment. For example, a thoughtfully placed garden or grove of trees can soften the lines of even the most modern building, while a carefully designed pathway encourages exploration and adds a sense of flow to the overall space. It’s a joy to see our design for the house and the designers landscape come alive, as the building itself seems to blend into its environment rather than simply sitting on it. Great landscape design gives a project that special touch that’s hard to define but unmistakable when you experience it. A building with beautifully integrated landscaping feels like it’s exactly where it’s meant to be, effortlessly in tune with its surroundings. When landscape design is thoughtfully woven into the architectural vision, it becomes the heart of the project, completing the story of the site. It turns architecture into a lived experience that engages the senses and grounds us in the beauty of the natural world. Every project deserves this finishing touch – the magic that happens when structure and nature align. With this thoughtful, layered approach, a building doesn’t just sit on the land; it becomes a part of it, creating spaces that are not only functional but inspiring.
So, you've finally decided to take the plunge.... That dream new house build you've been sketching on napkins for years? That long awaited extension that will make family life SO much easier? Or that ambitious renovation you’ve been saving the pennies for? It's finally happening! But as you dive headfirst into Pinterest boards and paint swatches, a big question pops up: Do I need an architect, or an interior designer, or both? It feels like a fork in the road, where each path offers a unique version of your dream space. Let’s face it, navigating the world of design can feel like learning a new language. And who wants to end up with a "lost in translation" scenario for their haven. That’s why we’re breaking it all down to explore and clarify the roles of architects like Artichoke and interior designers like A T E L I E R | id . Consider this your cheat sheet for understanding who does what and, more importantly, who you need on your team to turn your dream home into a reality.
We’re beyond excited and honoured to have been appointed on the next chapter of this phenomenal project to revitalise and develop Manor Farm – a charming, partially Grade II Listed heritage farmstead in Laleham. We’ve been working on this project with our clients, Step Property, for over two years; they have a strong local connection and a true passion to make it something that will be a positive contribution with architectural merit and care. After two positive rounds of pre-application advice with Spelthorne Borough Council and another with 2 councillors directly – the button has been pushed and it's now full steam ahead! Working on any one of these projects individually would be good, so it’s incredible to be working on 11 separate buildings, all of which need special attention given the site’s planning constraints: Conservation Area, Flood Plain & Green Belt. - Farmhouse – Grade II Listed - 2 Hay Barns – Grade II Listed - A Sensitive Modern Extension to the Hay Barns - Granary – Grade II Listed - Milking Parlour – Curtilage Listed - A Replacement Commercial Barn/Office - 4 New Light Industrial Barns with extra architectural finesse See a short video of the listed part of the site (link in bio) - https://www.artichoke-design.co.uk/manor-fa rm Artichoke will be leading the designs of the buildings & site and are very lucky to be working with the following expert consultants to ensure the project will have the consideration it needs to maximise its chances of planning permission being granted. - Planning Consultant – Andrew Black Consulting - Heritage Consultant – Heritage Fusion - Highways Consultants – Motion - Flood Consultant – Motion - Ecology Consultant – Ecology By Design - Structural Engineer – TBA Step Property have been insistent from the outset that this development should not just be a commercial venture to maximise space to gain the maximum return. They have truly embraced the opportunity to create a ‘place’ which not only aims to have a unique & special character not only with careful thought to the restoration of listed buildings or the creation of sensitively designed modern barns but most importantly something that has longevity both in itself and as an asset to the local community. Consequently, a huge amount of thought has already gone into the conceptual design and the client’s instructions to progress the planning information couldn’t be more attractive as a passionate practice of architects – to spend the time that we need to spend to ensure a beautiful set of buildings set within a sympathetically developed site – all of which of course should lead to a far greater chance of planning success. It is always the case that you should consider the existing context; and often the case that you should work with it – especially with Listed Buildings and in Conservation Areas. That doesn’t always mean just to create pastiche copies of anything that’s already there. In this case it does mean that we spent months understanding the site, buildings and surroundings before we explored how we might resolve the designs, which concept was unanimously supported by the client, the entire design team and the local authority; which included a conservation & heritage expert, a senior planning officer and senior conservation office (and consultant in their own right). At a high level, the site will be split into two distinct Character Zones: 1. Heritage – Conserved, refurbished & new buildings – to match existing materials & style
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