South Kensington Town House

This listed property situated in the gracious setting of South Kensington had previously been refurbished over ten years ago. Whilst the drawing room on the raised ground floor remained untouched, benefiting from the original, generous proportions and period features, the lower ground floor containing the kitchen had been opened up and a new conservatory was added. Though a generous space, the lower ground floor appeared hollow, somewhat disconnected from the rest of the house and no longer met the changed needs of our clients – a couple with two teenage children.

Having considered various layouts for this floor, our clients opted for the least disruptive approach. We reinstated walls and reduced openings to achieve more defined areas and created a separate area for a study. As a result each space is now used and enjoyed to its full potential rather than each seeming to be a transitory space. The complementary mix of finishes between the kitchen, dining room, hall and conservatory also contributes to their definition, whilst the overall plan still remains essentially 'open'.

As well as addressing the lower ground floor, we designed a new scheme for the ground floor drawing room working with the client's existing rug and recovering some existing pieces of furniture as part of the new scheme.

Photography / Kilian O'Sullivan