The Brief
A new lease of life was given to this five bedroom Victorian semi-detached villa between Notting Hill and High Street Ken, London, when it was extensively renovated. Home to a family with four children, it was bought by the clients 15 years ago but in 2019 they decided it was time for a transformation. ‘The clients wanted a very family focused home and so they were looking to extend and reinvigorate the existing house, to create the perfect place for them to spend time together,’ says Laura Layzell, Director at Layzell Architects, who undertook the renovation and interior design.
When it came to the interior, the client was keen to inject colour. ‘They wanted the house to be quirky and eclectic with a Soho-Home-meets-The-Ned-meets-Ham-Yard-Hotel vibe. At our design practice our comfort zone is quite neutral with lots of natural materials. The clients pushed me to explore more fun and colourful options.’
Natural products such as stone and timber were key, especially when it came to the flooring where practical and durable materials that were child and dog-friendly were a must-have. ‘Provenance is really important to us,’ says Laura. ‘When working on a Victorian villa it’s important to be influenced by what they would have used when the house was first built but adapt it to modern life so it doesn’t feel pastiche. We always try and take that macro environment along with the context and history of the property and use that to inform how we design the architecture and the interiors.’
The Project
The extensive renovation included replacing the roof, digging out the basement to provide guest accommodation, a utility, gym, cinema and spa, and changing the staircase so that, although it is in the same location, it winds in a different direction and allows the layout of the rooms to be more rational, generously sized and better proportioned. A spiral staircase was installed on the top floor to give the eldest son a bedroom, ensuite and playroom in the eaves. A new kitchen was installed on the lower ground floor, with a walk-in pantry. A boot room and cloakroom were also created and new bathrooms installed.
The emphasis was on the wow factor when it came to the entrance. A beautiful bespoke floor was designed using a combination of tiles from Artisans of Devizes - Verde Guatemala, Minton and Aliseo - in a 3D geometric shape. ‘We oversized the tiles so that they fitted the width of the hallway exactly but were quite large in scale and proportion,’ explains Laura. ‘It was quite a fun way to make things feel fresh and modern. It creates a lovely bespoke entrance hall that makes a statement as you walk in.’
On the second floor there are two daughters’ bedrooms, each with their own ensuite. ‘The clients were keen that the bathrooms weren’t the same and had their own personality but that it was obvious they belonged to sisters,’ notes Laura.
In one of the ensuites, Aliseo white scalloped stone mosaic tiles from Artisans of Devizes were used on the basin and bath splashback, with Aliseo honed marble tiles used on the floor, and the bath panel and skirting made from Aliseo. ‘We paired it with a really soft sage green on the walls, which looks really pretty and feminine without being too typically girly.’ In the other ensuite, Waldorf silver blue scallop limestone mosaic was introduced to clad the shower enclosure and on the basin splashback. Aliseo was used on the floor and the skirting ‘to keep it light and bright rather than too heavy on the grey and we paired the silver blue tile with a very soft dusky pink on the walls’, says Laura.
Upstairs the client’s son’s room is wallpapered with a striking Victorian map of London. ‘There’s quite a lot of green in the map so we incorporated Milan in Amazon marble mosaic -a striking green and white chevron zig zag - on the floor tile in this ensuite,’ explains Laura. The bottom half of the ensuite was then clad in beautiful Verde Guatemala to dado height (the desk in the bedroom is also in Verde Guatemala so it ties in beautifully with the bathroom), then white Aliseo marble was used on the top half of the shower enclosure.
Elsewhere, the guest suite Aliseo marble for the shower walls and half height on the other walls, with Milan Silver Marble Mosaic creating a statement floor. Artisans of Devizes’ Bianco Carrara in a honed effect was used to clad the bench in the spa’s steam room, injecting an elegant feel. And the exterior too is awash with Artisans of Devizes’ stone - the stone, steps and treads In the garden are in Wychwood limestone with Windsor cobble setts in the driveway at the front of the house.
Credits:
Project by Layzell Architects