A flat in London's iconic Barbican Centre transformed by Retrouvius

The owners gave Maria a detailed, written brief describing the atmosphere they wanted and what they liked doing, such as reading and entertaining. Warmth was key, and they felt the mahogany frames of the windows - typical of the Barbican - should form a starting point. They also felt the resin floor they had laid a few years earlier was partly to blame for the coldness. A parquet floor was mooted but Maria persuaded them that the floor should remain and warmth and texture could be added by different means. Instead, in her typically playful way, Maria clad walls and sliding doors with parquet; all the pieces were scrubbed and individually hand-sanded, so that they reflect light in different ways. The result is wonderfully tactile, almost sculptural.

The owners immediately liked the idea of using reclaimed materials. As well as the parquet, all new joinery, including the discreet wall-hung television unit, the bathroom panelling and the 10-seater dining-room table, are made from old laboratory worktops; the darkness of the wood echoes that of the window frames. Most of all they love the beautiful Hopton Wood fossil limestone on the floor and walls of their bathroom, rescued from Heathrow Terminal 2 - 'it seems made for the Barbican, its colour aligns with the concrete.' As an aside, the last batch of Retrouvius's 2,000-square-metre haul has found its way to a rather different home; it was sold to the Duke of Devonshire to be laid at Chatsworth - the quarry is local - and Lismore Castle, his Irish estate.

It was an easy decision to get rid of the original Barbican bathroom - 'though appropriate for the architecture, it was 40 years old and tired and dated,' say the owners - but they were able to donate useful or unique parts to the Barbican Salvage Group for others to reinstate elsewhere. They did decide to keep the original galley kitchen, designed by Brooke Marine, which had been well kept.

Today, as soon as you enter this flat, with its two bedrooms off to the left and the living areas to the right, the atmosphere is one of enveloping cosiness and delightful details and textures. Voile curtains are adorned with delicate pieces of lace from a collection Maria has accumulated over the years. The furniture is mostly mid-century Italian; its elegant shapes add femininity and soften any harshness, and as the wife is Italian, it seemed fitting.

As well as adding warmth, style and individuality to this flat, Maria also addressed practical elements, hiding televisions, creating a wall of heating behind the parquet to supplement the underfloor heating, and more. Furthermore, as the owners point out, 'she made a huge effort to contain the costs' - not something you often hear from a designer's client, however pleased they are.

'We like to see it as the transformation of a belvedere into a home,' say the thrilled owners. But not only is it now a home, it is almost a work of art; such is the attention to detail and balance of colours, texture and shapes. 'We don't dare add anything as we don't want to spoil the integrity,' says the wife, who has bought little more than a vase since it was completed. I don't blame her.

Retrouvius: 020-8960 6060; retrouvius.com