TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
Design studio Kitesgrove gave this Victorian mews house a modern, relaxed style
Everything about this classic Victorian mews house speaks of contrast. A flat-fronted, period façade gives no hint of the bold architectural shapes and unconventional layout within, just as a deeply peaceful crescent setting belies the building’s hectic west London location.
It’s exactly this juxtaposition that appealed to owner Lynn Chen. Though she had renovated a number of London new-build apartments, the prospect of nudging a period house towards relaxed, modern living was new to her. Nonetheless, its previous incarnation, which incorporated a vast Led-lit glass staircase, seemed to Lynn to jar with the bones of the building. ‘I wanted to restore the English feel of the house and to respect its context,’ she says.
‘It also needed to cater to our busy family life.’
Working with architects Studio Mcleod and interior design practice Kitesgrove, Lynn simplified the layout of the house, improved circulation and carved out two further bedrooms and bathrooms without expanding its footprint. Key to the design was the creation of a lightweight steel and oak open staircase hung from the roof, which neatly dissects all three storeys.
Extra light was introduced throughout via floor-toceiling windows, skylights and an ingenious Rubik’s Cube-like configuration of angular light wells.
‘A well-conceived layout was our driving force,’ says Kitesgrove’s Caitlin Nicol. ‘We moved the kitchen and dining area to the lower ground floor, along with an informal sitting room, and created a glass-fronted study on the ground floor, plus an open-plan living area, anchored by a fireplace.’
Those tweaks were instant game changers. ‘It meant the spaces related to each other,’ says Lynn. ‘My family loves spending time around the dining table and so it made sense for us to have kitchen, dining and relaxation areas on one floor.’
Lynn’s decorative choices were gentle yet impactful, thanks perhaps to the structural motifs that run throughout. As a result, in the main bedroom elegant ochre striped wallpaper echoes the vertical lines of the staircase, mid-century furniture and curved sofas complement angular skylights and long, lightweight sheers graze frameless windows.
Though Lynn has a preference for minimal interiors, she wanted to experiment more boldly with pattern and colour. In the study, walls were papered in a sisal grasscloth, featuring an informal deconstructed chevron design. While a hidden jewel of a cloakroom, tucked under the stairs, features a modern pastoral wallpaper by Cole & Son.
‘The house was built in 1850, around the time of London’s Great Exhibition, with its emphasis on cultural and decorative richness,’ says Caitlin. ‘We took our cue from that, sourcing furniture and fabrics that introduce a global flavour, along with a sense of comfort and warmth.’ A marble-topped bar, painted in a grounding blue-green, creates a natural focal point while, conversely, an off-white kitchen seems to melt seamlessly into its setting.
Now, a series of contemporary shapes complement this building’s period origins while standing apart from them. It’s an unexpected harmony that appeals to Lynn. ‘The house is a stone’s throw from everything I need and yet it’s incredibly private,’ she says. ‘It is such an oasis of calm amid the busy city life.’
Kitesgrove, kitesgrove.com; Studio Mcleod, studiomcleod.com
“THE OPEN-PLAN LOWER GROUND FLOOR IS MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE HOUSE. WE HAVE A LARGE FAMILY AND THE OPENNESS OF
THE DESIGN BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER COMFORTABLY”