This family house is a Grade II listed building in Holland Park, London W11 required a full house renovation to suit more contemporary living. With the building being listed and protected by Historic England, the most challenging design consideration was integrating the new with the existing features. The clients holds a large diverse artwork collection which has been collected over many years. We strived to create spaces and palettes that would ‘stage’ the artwork, rather than the architecture becoming too dominant. To achieve this, the design had to be minimal and sympathetic, whilst respecting the character and features of the property. The main aspect of the project was to ‘open up’ the raised ground floor and provide access to the rear garden, by linking the kitchen and dining areas. A clear sightline was achieved from the front part of the raised ground floor through to the back of the garden. This design approach allowed more generous space and daylight into the rooms as well as creating a visual connection to the rear garden. Kitchen and furniture units were designed using a shaker style with deep colours on top of herringbone wooden flooring to fit in with the traditional architectural elements such as the skirting and architraves. The drawing room and study are presented on the first floor, which acted as the main gallery space of the house. Restoration of the fireplaces, cornicing and other original features were carried out, with a simple backdrop of new materials chosen, in order to provide a subtle backdrop to showcase the art on the wall. Photos by Matt Clayton

Peter Crumpton

Marc Mauldin Photography, Inc.

Ranjan Sharma

Like most of our projects, we can't gush about this reno—a new kitchen and mudroom, ensuite closet and pantry—without gushing about the people who live there. The best projects, we always say, are the ones in which client, contractor and design team are all present throughout, conception to completion, each bringing their particular expertise to the table and forming a cohesive, trustworthy team that is mutually invested in a smooth and successful process. They listen to each other, give the benefit of the doubt to each other, do what they say they'll do. This project exemplified that kind of team, and it shows in the results. Most obvious is the opening up of the kitchen to the dining room, decompartmentalizing somewhat a century-old bungalow that was originally quite purposefully compartmentalized. As a result, the kitchen had to become a place one wanted to see clear through from the front door. Inset cabinets and carefully selected details make the functional heart of the house equal in elegance to the more "public" gathering spaces, with their craftsman depth and detail. An old back porch was converted to interior space, creating a mudroom and a much-needed ensuite walk-in closet. A new, larger deck went on: Phase One of an extensive design for outdoor living, that we all hope will be realized over the next few years. Finally, a duplicative back stairwell was repurposed into a walk-in pantry. Modernizing often means opening spaces up for more casual living and entertaining, and/or making better use of dead space. In this re-conceptualized old house, we did all of that, creating a back-of-the-house that is now bright and cheerful and new, while carefully incorporating meaningful vintage and personal elements. The best result of all: the clients are thrilled. And everyone who went in to the project came out of it friends. Contractor: Stumpner Building Services Cabinetry: Stoll’s Woodworking Photographer: Gina Rogers

Rick Bethem Photography

Roehner + Ryan

HARIS KENJAR

Dayna Flory Interiors Martin Vecchio Photography

Photo ©2018 David Eichler

Photography: Christopher Jones Photography / Builder: Reward Builders

Stone fireplace, rustic walls and ceiling, Haiku Fan. Photos by Tim Murphy.