29.08.2023
Knightsbridge project featured in 25 Beautiful Homes magazine
Our latest Knightsbridge project is featured in this month’s 25 Beautiful Homes. The five bedroom 1820s house on a leafy garden square had enormous potential but had been gutted by a developer, the architectural features stripped out, off-the-shelf doors put in and an ugly beige wallpaper applied throughout. This is something that unfortunately happens all too often, as developers without an understanding of Georgian architecture make inappropriate interventions or simply remove features wholesale.
It is very important when renovating a period property to work with the right designer who will help you choose and install appropriate features that respect the proportions and period style of your home. With the help of our specialist team, we replaced all the doors with designs based on Regency originals, and put in appropriate skirtings, dados and cornices that turned the clock back to the 1820s.
“A sensitive redecoration of this Regency townhouse has resulted in a period property that combines old-world flair with modern sensibilities”.
One perk of working on period projects is rediscovering a feature that has been “buried”. On this project, that moment came when the original mahogany handrail that had been hidden under layers of thick paint was carefully sanded back and French-polished to restore its deep warm finish. The “marble” runner was made bespoke and adds a sinuous elegance to the hallway.
As the client is a fine artist, we worked with a number of artists to personalise the home with beautiful murals, and set about furnishing her home with a carefully chosen mixture of classic and modern pieces. The client also needed modern conveniences, including air-conditioning and Lutron lighting so we spent a lot of time devising clever ways to conceal air conditioning units – including above wardrobes and even inside a bookcase – that did not involve lowering the ceilings that would have damaged the all-important Georgian proportions.
As an example of our approach, we designed this study taking inspiration from Late Georgian and French Napoleonic examples, and we concealed air-conditioning within the bookcase on the right hand side, even using faux book spines to create an illusion of a continuous library. Looking at the image below, we defy anyone to tell!
