London House, Kensington, Full renovation, 2001

This house was designed for an executive couple and their future children. The husband worked in finance and his Australian bride wanted to live in a natural oasis. She wanted to create a zen environment where they could come home, relax and spend special moments with their family to be. It was important to her to make a beautiful baby's room with a full bath for bath time routine. She also wanted a separate and private level just for her and her husband to retreat to. This included a rooftop terrace with access from the bedroom, a large walk-in robe, with hand made custom shelving from our German craftsman, whom we flew in to undertake all cabinetry in the house, including entryway, bespoke kitchen, conservatory, bespoke bed, storage and study. His workmanship was second to none. The builder also had impeccable workmanship and gutted the inside of the house to start refurbishment from scratch.
It was important to the husband to have a large, functional kitchen with elements of Italian design. To this effect we chose textured and charming handmade tiles with hand painted fish to create warmth. We chose natural colours for the sense of calm, Our client wanted the texture to be warm so we choose wood surfaces. The flooring was a rich walnut and cherry wood was used in the entrance. The mosaic tiles in the main bathroom were used to create a sense of fun for the children and the large projector and screen were put into the reconstructed lounge to have movie nights. We designed a glass window from the lounge into the study to open up the area with natural light and we put in a powder room for guests and convenience for working at home. This project with the full regutting took 18 months to complete. And it proved to be successful as a long term investment, making the owner 170% profit on the sale ten years later. The design was next level and added a warm and welcoming feel to guests at dinner parties and created a tranquil retreat for the owners from everyday stresses.