House ST

Location: Hammersmith, London
Type: residential (refurbishment, rear extension and Loft conversion)
Status: Completed

Design: Maryse Renier Architecture
Interior Design: Maryse Renier Architecture with Kromatic Interiors
Staging: Kromatic Interiors
Photographs: Megan Taylor

When I first visited this Victorian middle terraced house, it was gloomy and had been in need of a complete refurbishment for more than a decade. Nothing was more contrary to the natural hospitality of its occupants, a family of Mediterranean roots who often had family and friends staying with them, than the sad appearance of the house.

The brief included an enlarged kitchen with a roof-lit side extension and a fully-glazed exterior wall opening to the patio, a new formal reception room and a guest bathroom within the existing walls. Finally, a loft extension would house one additional bedroom and bathroom.

In response to chronic lack of light, the revised layout maximises natural daylight throughout the house, including shower rooms and dressing areas. This is complemented by a predominantly white colour scheme, including a custom white-stained oak flooring.

By preserving and restoring the original plaster cornices, stair spindles, fireplace mantels, etc., the design proposes a playful contrast between the soft curves of the Victorian decorative features and the sharp lines of the renovated spaces. The abstract white spaces provide a perfect stage for the client’s eclectic and colourful art collection arranged throughout the house.