Aura Homes is known for designing spaces that are both beautiful and functional. When working with clients, what are the key factors you consider to ensure their home meets their lifestyle needs?

Gabby: We will always try to fully understand how our clients live and how they use their homes. Understanding their daily routines and understanding what does and doesn’t work about the existing home sets a good foundation for coming up with a design that will meet their lifestyle needs. Everyone is different! We’re really proud at Aura to cater to all sorts of different styles. We don’t have a singe “aesthetic” that people come to us for, our designs are always driven by the individual client. That’s why you’ll see a huge range of homes of varying styles on our website! Getting to know the client is key.

Glazing is more than just a design feature—it impacts comfort, energy efficiency, and the overall feel of a space. How do you approach your projects’ glazing selection to enhance natural light, insulation, and aesthetics?

Gabby: We’re almost always trying to maximise natural light in our projects. But it’s important to consider factors such as the orientation of the new glazing and the ratio of glazed area to floor area, to avoid overheating and ensure the space remains comfortable. I know Bespoke Gazing Design offers a tinted glass solution, which has been great for us when we install large roof lights or glazed roofs over a space we don’t want to feel too warm, such as a kitchen. Once we’ve found a balance between comfort and maximising light, we can consider the aesthetics!

You’ve worked on projects incorporating steel and aluminium glazing. What factors influence your selection of materials and styles for different architectural designs? 

Gabby: When using glazing internally, we often need it to be fire-rated. In these instances, we would normally go with crittall glazing as aluminium doesn’t meet the fire rating standards. I think crittall really suits an extension in a more traditional property. And it looks great with a shaker kitchen! For more modern extensions with minimalist design features, I would typically go with a two or three-pane sliding door with slim aluminium frames. Extra-wide sliding doors are great in a minimalist space as you can minimise the amount of frame obstructing the view to the garden. But ultimately, we are client-driven! We will help guide our clients towards what we think will work best for their space, but often they have a preference in mind already.

Home design is constantly evolving. What trends do you see emerging in the use of glazing, and what trends do you think have had their time? 

Gabby: I love using colour in glazing! I hope this trend continues in the future. Homeowners will often say to me that they would like the doors in their extension to be “grey” without realising how many hundreds of shades of grey there are to choose from in a RAL colour chart! People too often end up going with a standard anthracite. We worked on a project with you last year where we installed pistachio green doors, which was really fun. I hope to have lots more brave clients in the future who are up for bringing some colour to their glazing!
Controversial opinion, but I think the bi-folding doors trend is on its way out…

How do homeowners’ expectations around light, space, and energy efficiency change?

Gabby: I don’t think enough homeowners prioritise energy efficiency in their renovations yet. More and more are amazing, but I still find we have to bring it to most homeowners’ attention, as they are distracted by choosing the fun stuff like finishes and fittings. I think it’s super essential that architects and designers take charge here and drive people towards making sustainable choices in their projects, and make them see sustainability as a priority. In terms of space, we have definitely noticed a shift in mindset since the covid lockdowns of people wanting more space and more segregation in their homes. After having spent so much time in our homes, people are looking to have more space in general for sure, but also for ways to create more private areas within a larger space so that multiple family members can use it at once for varying functions. Clever ways of partitioning using joinery or internal glazing is a good way to achieve this within an open plan room and is something that has become very popular amongst our clients.    

We’ve worked on several projects to bring your architectural vision to life. What do you value most about working with Bespoke Glazing Design, and how do you see our partnership supporting future projects? 

Gabby: I’ve enjoyed building a relationship with Bespoke Glazing Design over the past 5 years or so that we’ve been working together. I value the technical support and extensive knowledge your team have when it comes to glazing details, and I value the quality of the installation. Everything always looks amazing when it’s finished, and you help bring our vision to life!