Project Details
📍 Location: UK residential living room
🛠 Material: Zinc with bespoke light patina
📅 Completion: December 2025
🎯 Applications: Cabinets, drawers, fireplace surround
Intro
This residential living room was transformed using bespoke zinc cladding finished with a very light, hand-applied patina.
The project re-imagined a traditional interior as a calm, contemporary space by replacing patterned surfaces with refined zinc panels, integrated cabinetry, and a custom fireplace surround.
Designed and fabricated by Designs05, the installation demonstrates how zinc can be used successfully in domestic living spaces — offering texture, durability, and understated character without an industrial aesthetic.
The Brief
The client wanted to modernise the living room while maintaining a warm, domestic feel. The brief focused on reducing visual noise and introducing material depth rather than colour or pattern.
Key objectives included:
- Creating a cohesive feature around the fireplace and media wall
- Integrating new surfaces with existing cabinetry
- Using materials suited to everyday residential use
- Avoiding high-gloss or reflective finishes
Zinc was selected for its soft, matte character and its ability to develop subtle tonal variation through controlled patination.
Design & Materials
All visible elements were clad in made-to-order zinc panels, finished with a bespoke very light patina. The finish was developed to maintain a pale, understated appearance while allowing natural variation to remain visible across larger surfaces.
Zinc was used across:
- Cabinet and drawer fronts
- Integrated worktop surfaces
- Fireplace surround and hearth
- Feature wall panelling behind the media unit
The result is a unified installation where individual components read as a single architectural feature.
Fabrication & Installation
Each zinc component was fabricated to suit the existing room layout, allowing the original cabinetry structure to be retained while completely transforming the visual language of the space.
Careful attention was given to:
- Clean edge detailing
- Alignment across drawer and cabinet fronts
- Consistency of patina across adjacent panels
- Accurate junctions around the fireplace opening
All fabrication and finishing was carried out in the UK, with the patina applied by hand to ensure control and consistency.
The Result
The completed interior is calm, contemporary, and tactile. Where patterned wallpaper once dominated, zinc now introduces quiet texture and depth. The fireplace becomes a focal point without overpowering the room, while the cabinetry reads as a cohesive installation rather than a collection of individual units.
This project highlights how zinc can be used in living rooms and domestic interiors, offering a refined alternative to painted finishes, timber veneers, or stone surfaces.
Project Summary
- Material: Zinc
- Finish: Bespoke very light patina
- Applications: Cabinet fronts, drawer fronts, worktops, fireplace surround, wall cladding
- Location: UK residential interior
- Fabrication: Made to order, hand-finished
Contact Us
Designs05 specialises in bespoke metal interiors — blending material, texture, and patina with purpose.
If you’re considering zinc, brass, or copper for a living space, fireplace, or custom cabinetry, we’d be happy to discuss your project.
Designs05 also produces bespoke zinc table tops and worktops using similar hand-applied patina techniques.
