Seeing the light (From Living Northeast)

Seeing the light

1:06pm Thursday 22nd October 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

Lucy Richardson talks to Mike Farrell, who designs and builds timber and glass rooms that bring light and a touch of luxury to clients’ homes.

THERE are not many people from Stockton who can say they’ve shared a pot of tea with Barbra Streisand in her Los Angeles mansion.

Or walked round the grounds of Rob Lowe’s palatial pad in Santa Monica… But for Mike Farrell the personal touch is vital to clinching the deal and ensuring that the client is kept fully informed while their impressive new room is built.

Mike says most customers who approach him, mainly through word of mouth, have probably been thinking of creating a luxury conservatory for a couple of years.

“They will have been thinking a lot about the use of the room and looking at a lot of magazines. It’s not a decision they will have entered into lightly,” he says.

“These are clients who say ‘we could move, but we would rather stay and add onto our home to make it what we really want’.”

Mike started his career as an apprentice draughtsman and after a spot of globetrotting, he was offered a position in the drawing office at conservatory manufacturer Amdega, at its head office in Darlington.

Here he was able to satisfy his wanderlust with a role in exports which saw him travelling all over the world pitching to a host of top-end clients.

But a desire to become his own boss prompted Mike to set up his own niche firm, Vetro Vivo – Italian for “living glass” – two years ago.

He now designs and builds bespoke rooms from the finest quality timber and glass.

Despite the economic downturn, the business has continued to grow as customers realise the financial sense of adding value to their property rather than risking a loss on the property market.

“I get most of my work through recommendations,”

he says. “After visiting a potential client, I bring the drawings back to my office, I tweak things and then I have a cooling-off period with them. They have wanted to do this for years and they now have to weigh up whether they will spend to achieve their dream.”

Mike, who lives with his wife and two children in Hartburn, says the personal touch is crucial and one of the main reasons why he has received so many personal recommendations.

“I am always there to iron out any unforeseen problems.

I’m there to reassure people that yes, there will be builders there for weeks and water may be turned off for a time, but it will be worth it. It helps if they can see me, even for five minutes each day, to feel they are being kept in the picture.”

Mike is enjoying a surge in business from homeowners who see a top-of-the-range glass addition as a wise investment.

“The conservatories become a seamless addition to the existing home. They can be used as garden rooms, lounges, dining rooms and even bedrooms,” he says.

“They are bespoke structures which comply with full building regulations and come with underfloor heating and the best quality glass.

“Now, with the credit crunch, many of my clients have decided that if they are going to stay put, they are going to extend properly, not just clag something onto the side of the house which could have a negative impact.

If you are going to stay put for the foreseeable future, you want to be adding value.

“What clients are looking for is a wow factor. If there are ten houses on a street all looking the same, but one has a bespoke conservatory then that house becomes something unique and aspirational. It is about lifestyle as it will be the one room they will live in as it offers both light and warmth,” says Mike.

His most high-profile project in Britain so far has been to create a new dining room at Headlam Hall country house hotel, near Darlington, which opened at the end of April.

To ensure the integrity of the original Grade IIListed structure was retained, Mike worked closely with the hall’s owners and English Heritage for a year to create a bespoke orangerie that links seamlessly to the original building.

The elegant structure is made of hardwood from sustainable sources and includes a limestone flagged floor and sliding glass doors.

Thomas Robinson, managing director of Headlam Hall, is delighted with the new addition to the prestigious hall, which already has a golf course and luxury spa.

“Its all about raising Headlam to another level,” he says. “We used to have a small conservatory which served us well for about 17 years, but it was definitely time to upgrade it. What has been created is a much more substantial, spacious environment and the style of the orangerie, although new, is in keeping with the style of the hall.”

The new dining room includes a private dining area, known as the Olive Room, which seats up to 16 and can be hired out exclusively or opened up and joined into the rest of the space.

Mike is currently seeking business opportunities across Europe and is setting up a joinery shop in the Tees Valley so every order can be tailor-made in-house.

“This will mean we can do anything,” he says. “I want to create a bespoke outfit and I want to go back to the traditional ways. It is a completely blank canvas, but I am sure I am going in the right direction.”

■ Vetro Vivo Tel: 0845-2578048; email info@vetrovivo.co.uk; vetrovivo.co.uk

• Print
• Email
• Share