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      Fettle revamps San Carlo restaurant with interiors informed by Milanese villas and gardens

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      Architecture and design studio Fettle has unveiled the refurbished interior of the San Carlo restaurant in Liverpool, UK, which was informed by northern Italy’s coastline.

      Located in Liverpool’s city centre, Fettle’s refurbishment was designed to reinvigorate the restaurant and offer a “spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on traditional Italian dining”, the studio said.
      The lighting was chosen to create an overall softnessDuring the redevelopment, Fettle stripped the building back to its existing shell and redesigned each element, from the walls to the flooring.
      The 280-square-metre restaurant also contains a feature bar and a private dining room named The Rosa Room and Wine Sellar, which is located on the lower ground floor.
      The restaurant’s furniture was informed by Milanese villas and gardensSan Carlo’s colour palette takes cues from the hues of the northern Italian coastline and includes greens, blues and pinks.

      Fettle adorned the space with contrasting materials, including timber, brass and marble, which were softened by patterned upholstery made from mohair and leather.
      San Carlo’s colour palette takes cues from Italy’s coastlineThe furniture was designed specifically for the project and was informed by the furniture found in grand Milanese villas and gardens.
      This included fluted oak bar stools with green leather seats and brass bases, marble and timber tables, curved-legged dining chairs and velvet leather seating.
      Fettle aimed to create a space that had an “alluring ambience and timeless sophistication”.”The restaurant offers a spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on traditional Italian dining with elegant interiors inspired by Grand Milanese villas and gardens,” the studio said.
      The lighting was chosen to add a sense of softness to the interior, and includes a mixture of bespoke-designed statement chandeliers, pendant fillings and wall and table lamps to give the space an “intimate glow”.
      The lighting intends to give the space an “intimate glow”.The floor was equipped with colourful terrazzo in a mix of cream, orange and green tones, while the walls were clad in high gloss timber panelling.
      According to the architects, its colour is similar to that of luxury Italian sports cars and the water taxis of Venice.
      The restaurant was also equipped with antiqued mirrored panels that aim to add to the glamour of the space.

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      Three eclectic abstract murals by Los Angeles-based artist Jessalyn Brooks are positioned opposite the bar and on the rear wall of the restaurant.
      “We’re excited to unveil the transformation of San Carlo Liverpool,” said the managing director of San Carlo, Marcello Distefano. “The new design is representative of the evolution of San Carlo, a journey we began in 1992.”
      Antiqued mirrored panels decorate the restaurantFettle was founded by designers Tom Parker and Andy Goodwin and specialises in hospitality design and interior architecture.
      Previous projects include the restoration of an art deco hotel in Santa Monica, California, and the conversion of a members’ club for 1 Warwick members’ club in Soho, London.
      Other interior projects recently featured on Dezeen include the transformation of a three-story home into a restaurant in Bogotá that uses natural materials and a travelling gallery by multidisciplinary designer Vanessa Heepen, which includes vintage furniture pieces.

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      Bottega Veneta channels Veneto design sensibilities at Sloane Street store

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      Fashion brand Bottega Veneta has opened a store on London’s Sloane Street that draws on materials, furniture and design techniques from Italy’s Veneto region.

      Located at the base of a nine-storey 1920s red brick apartment complex, the store sits behind a white-rendered frontage with doric column-style detailings.
      The store is located on Sloane StreetIt was opened as the first store to implement Matthieu Blazy’s vision for the brand and its physical retail locations, following his appointment as Bottega Veneta’s creative director in 2021.
      The interior was designed using materials, furniture and furnishings associated with the Veneto region where the brand was founded – the northeastern area of Italy that encompasses the land between the Dolomite Mountains and the Adriatic Sea and contains the city of Venice.
      It is the first store under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy”Bottega Veneta’s identity is not only reflected in the furniture, but throughout the space, creating its uniquely warm atmosphere,” Bottega Veneta said of the store.

      Upon entering the space, visitors are met by a largely open interior. This is zoned by four large, curved wooden volumes that were inserted at the centre of the store and introduce a loose symmetry to the division and organisation of the space.
      It was inspired by the Veneto regionThese wooden volumes are constructed from dark wood and have a multi-faceted design, incorporating protruding elements and geometric cut-outs that are fitted with shelving for use as display areas for the brand’s accessories and footwear.
      Beyond subtly zoning the ground floor of the store into three distinct areas, the wooden volumes also create a series of intimate spaces and rooms tucked behind, within and between each of their adjacent structures.

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      The floor of the store was blanketed in terrazzo, a material chosen for its ties to Venice, the brand said.
      The movement of water informed the design of the terrazzo, which has an oscillating look that was achieved through the use of four different stones – Bardiglio, Carrara, Verde Alpi, and Grigio Carnico.
      Terrazzo covers the floor of the storeLouvred veined stone panels framed in a brassy metal trim line the front and rear of the store and provide additional depth and colour to the interior.
      Where not used as decorative panelling, smaller brass-framed louvred panels are also used as mirrors that can be twisted and turned to reflect and face various parts of the store.
      Dark wood volumes divide the space in the storeWoven sofas and armchairs nod to the Intrecciato woven accessories and garments that the brand has become known for. The furniture pieces were constructed from leather in hues of green, brown and black and paired with a forest green rug.
      Sculpted wooden side tables and hard furnishings are scattered throughout the interior.
      Woven leather furniture is used throughoutA staircase, tucked to the side of the store, is clad in the same stone that covers the floors and lined in glass and brass to tie it in with the structural fixtures that can be found throughout the interior.
      At this year’s Milan design week, Bottega Veneta unveiled a collaboration with Italian designer Gaetano Pesce that saw him design his first-ever handbag.
      Prior to their collaboration on accessories, Pesce created a swirling resin set comprised of 400 custom chairs and a pooling multi-coloured floor for Bottega Veneta’s Spring Summer 2023 show.
      The photography is courtesy of Bottega Veneta.

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      Tate Modern’s Corner cafe revamped to be less “Herzog & de Meuron-y”

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      Architecture studio Holland Harvey has overhauled the ground-floor cafe at the Tate Modern in London so it doubles as the gallery’s first late-night bar.

      Tucked away in the museum’s northwest corner, the interior of the Corner cafe was originally designed in 2000 when Herzog & de Meuron created a home for the UK’s national collection of modern art inside the disused power station on the Southbank.
      Corner is a new cafe and bar at the Tate ModenSince then, the Tate had made no changes to the space until Holland Harvey was brought on board to refresh the interior at the start of 2022.
      “It was quite a cold space,” the studio’s co-founder Richard Holland told Dezeen. “All very Herzog & de Meuron-y.”
      “They’re amazing at what they do in so many ways,” he continued. “But this was not their best food and beverage space.”

      A grey stone bar forms the centrepiece of the roomHolland Harvey stripped back many of the cafe’s hard, reflective finishes, sanding away the black gloss paint on the floors to reveal the parquet underneath and removing the mirrored glass that Herzog & de Meuron had used to enclose the building’s original riveted columns.
      Fluorescent lights were replaced with more muted spots by London studio There’s Light, while the dropped ceiling above the bar was rounded off and covered in foam insulation to soften the interior – both visually and acoustically.
      Otherwise, many of the cafe’s core elements including the servicing as well as the kitchen and toilets remained largely untouched to prevent excessive waste and maintain the integrity of the building.
      “You don’t really want to mess around with the servicing because 12 feet above your head is a Picasso,” Holland said. “So it was pretty light touch.”
      The cafe backs onto the Tate’s Turbine Hall. Photo by Edward BishopThe biggest intervention came in the form of a newly added riverside entrance, allowing passersby to stroll straight into Corner rather than having to take the long way through the gallery.
      At the other end of the open-plan room, a door leads directly into Tate’s famous Turbine Hall, effectively linking it with the public spaces of the Southbank.
      Stone seating banquettes double as impromptu climbing frames”The Turbine Hall is one of the most successful public spaces in London,” Holland said. “It’s one of the few indoor places you can go, where people happily sit down on the floor in the middle of the day.”
      “And obviously, the Southbank is an amazing public offering as well,” he continued. “So this felt like an opportunity to connect the two, which led a lot of the thinking around the design.”
      With the idea of extending the public realm, many of the newly added pieces are robust and fixed in place, much like street furniture. Among them are the double-sided Vicenza Stone banquettes, which can also serve as impromptu climbing frames for young children.

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      Holland Harvey created a number of other seating areas throughout Corner to suit different accessibility needs, with a focus on supporting local manufacturers and small businesses while reducing waste wherever possible.
      Corner’s long sharing tables and benches were made by marginalised young people from west London as part of a carpentry apprenticeship programme run by social enterprise Goldfinger, using trees that were felled by local authorities to stop the spread of ash dieback.
      “Every table has the coordinates of where the tree has felled on it, so there’s a provenance to the furniture,” Holland said.
      The chairs were taken from Tate’s own storage and refinishedThe chairs, meanwhile, were salvaged from the gallery’s own storage before being refinished and reupholstered, while the smaller tables were made by Brighton company Spared using waste coffee grounds from Tate’s other cafes.
      These were baked at a low temperature to remove any moisture before being mixed with oyster shells and a water-based gypsum binder.
      Although the resulting pieces aren’t fully circular since they can’t be recycled, Holland hopes they tell a story about the value that can be found in waste.
      Waste coffee grounds from the gallery’s other cafes were turned into table tops”We’re by no means saying that it’s an exemplar project in that sense,” he explained. “We were just trying to find opportunities to tell stories through all the different elements rather than just going to the large corporate suppliers.”
      “And that’s really our wider impact: people realising that there’s a different way to procure a table. Imagine if all of Tate’s furniture moving forward is made by Goldfinger,” he continued.
      The cafe also has high counter seating for remote workingIn the evenings, the space can be transitioned into a bar and events space by switching to warmer, higher-contrast lighting, while a section of the central banquette can be turned into a raised DJ booth by pressing a button that is hidden under the cushions.
      “This place can get quite wild in the evening,” Holland said.
      Timber shelves are used to display productsThe last significant amendment to the Tate Modern building was Herzog & de Meuron’s Switch House extension, which opened to the public in 2016.
      The building contains a gift shop designed by Amsterdam studio UXUS, alongside various galleries and a viewing level on the top floor, which is currently closed to the public after Tate lost a high-profile privacy lawsuit brought by the inhabitants of a neighbouring residential tower.
      The photography is by Jack Hobhouse unless otherwise stated.

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      Piles of green-hued books characterise London Aesop store

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      The interior of London’s most recent Aesop store in Marylebone was organised to reference a bookshop and features bespoke timber cabinetry by furniture designer Sebastian Cox.

      Skincare brand Aesop’s in-house design team created the concept for the Marylebone store, which recently relocated from its original home in the London neighbourhood to Marylebone High Street.
      The Marylebone store features piles of green booksThe team took “material references” from the British Library on Euston Road and attempted to emulate the layout of traditional bookshops by choosing warm timbers and towering piles of pale green books to decorate the interior.
      Divided into a main shop and an area for personal skin consultations, the L-shaped store features handmade cabinetry by Cox throughout.
      Olivier Cousy added frescos to the ceiling troughsThe shelving is defined by gently rounded edges, which Cox crafted from lime-washed oak and stained with linseed oil to enhance the timber’s warm appearance.

      He designed the cabinetry with flexible joinery that would allow the furniture to be disassembled and transferred elsewhere if needed.
      Sebastian Cox designed timber cabinetry throughout the interiorOversized rattan lampshades were also chosen for the main shop area, which displays uniform rows of Aesop products and includes large, metallic communal sinks built into the timber cabinetry.
      The store’s also features ceiling troughs with custom-made geometric frescos by artist Olivier Cousy.

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      Cousy was informed by Marylebone’s many green squares when painting the designs, which are geometric arrangements of autumnal colours – compositions that take cues from expressionist artist Paul Klee’s 1922 work Tower in Orange and Green.
      “Architecturally, our design method is to connect to the context of the locale, weaving ourselves into its fabric,” said Aesop chief customer officer Suzanne Santos.
      Wooden sinks characterise the skin consultation areaIn the skin consultation area, a sandy-hued, floor-to-ceiling curtain can be pulled to give customers privacy while geometric timber sinks were built into the space’s cabinetry.
      Known for its array of stores that pay homage to their individual locations, Aesop’s other outlets include a branch in London’s Piccadilly Arcade with marble fixtures that filmmaker Luca Guadagnino designed to reference the area’s jewellery boutiques, and a Cambridge store by British studio JamesPlumb with hemp and bulrush accents that nod to the nearby River Cam.
      The photography is by Alixe Lay. 

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      Whittaker Parsons crowns North London mews house with “bolthole” extension

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      Using a combination of copper, larch and structural insulated panels, architecture firm Whittaker Parsons has added an additional storey to a contemporary mews house in Stoke Newington to house a bedroom suite.

      Originally built in 2005, the property belongs to a couple with two older children, who have lived here for the last decade.
      Whittaker Parsons added an additional storey to a London mews houseThe family asked Whittaker Parsons to provide more space with the addition of a loft, as well as to revamp the lower floors including the studio on the second floor, which was reconfigured to create a well-proportioned workspace complete with its own library.
      Daylight floods the new third storey, bouncing off lime-plastered walls while carefully positioned windows provide views of tree canopies and across rear gardens from window seats and the bespoke bed.
      “We set out to design a beautiful, healthy, serene retreat, in which the homeowners could immerse themselves in the beauty of natural materials, a bolthole in the middle of north London,” Whittaker Parsons told Dezeen.

      The extension is accessed via a larch-clad staircaseWith efficiency and quality in mind, the studio used prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPs) to construct the additional storey, with the aim of minimising waste and saving time.
      “Compared to standard timber construction, it is simpler to control the quality of onsite workmanship and achieve a more robust, air-tight building envelope,” the team explained.
      Generous windows provide views of the surrounding areaExternally, the extension is set back from the street elevation and finished in materials that mirror the surrounding architecture, including black-stained timber cladding, brick slips and patinated copper to tie in with the copper facade on the second floor below.
      Internally, the triangular arrangement of the larch beams was developed to work with the load path of the existing building and the irregular form of the loft.
      “The intention was to make visible and celebrate the structural effort that went into creating this new space,” Whittaker Parsons explained.
      Integrated window seats provide a place to restThe practice created a tranquil master bedroom with a larch-clad and lime-rendered interior, bespoke larch bed frame and walk-in wardrobe made from low-formaldehyde furniture board.
      As the unsealed lime plaster wall finish cures, the lime will absorb almost as much carbon as was emitted in its production, the studio claims.
      “Lime render is a calming tactile material, characterful and soft,” said Whittaker Parsons. “It is a low-carbon alternative to gypsum plaster. It’s also a hygroscopic material, so it naturally moderates the moisture level in the bedroom.”

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      Used alongside the render, white oiled larch panelling spans the spaces between the exposed larch beams, improving acoustic absorption.
      “Often in bedrooms, the ceiling is the most important yet neglected surface,” the studio said. “The larch adds a sense of warmth, calm, and character to the space, creating an articulated ceiling at the top of the house – almost a reward for climbing all those stairs.”
      Whittaker Parsons also created a custom larch-wood bed for the interiorIn the adjoining skylit shower room, fluted travertine tiles line the walls, enveloping the shower area and complementing the travertine floor tiles.
      “The roof light to the shower oversails the fluted travertine tiles, creating the impression that one is showering outside under the sky,” said Whittaker Parsons.
      The basin, splashback and vanity unit are formed from unsealed Calacatta Rosato marble, which according to the studio provides a lower-carbon alternative to fired tiles.
      The vanity in the adjoining bathroom is formed from Calacatta Rosato marbleOverall, Whittaker Parsons says the project is “exceptionally low-carbon”, with the bulk of its embodied emissions coming from the triple glazing, thermal insulation and a single steel beam used to create the opening for the staircase.
      Founded by Matthew Whittaker and Camilla Parsons in 2015, Whittaker Parsons has completed a number of projects in the British capital including The Naked House, which was longlisted for sustainable interior of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards.
      The marble is paired with fluted travertine tilesOther sustainably-minded extensions in London include Low Energy House in Muswell Hill, designed by local studio Architecture for London founder for its founder Ben Ridley.
      The photography is by Jim Stephenson.

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      Norm Architects uses “natural forms” and steel details for Chancery House interior

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      Danish studio Norm Architects has worked with pale wood, red bricks, sandstone and stainless steel to create the interior of The Office Group’s Chancery House workspace in London.

      Located above the subterranean Silver Vaults market in London, the 1953 building was given a retrofit by dMFK Architects with a new interior by Norm Architects for The Office Group (TOG).
      It now houses workspaces as well as a gym, a yoga studio, a cafe, a library, event spaces and saunas in an 11,612-square-metre space.
      The interior features brick detailsNorm Architects drew on the building’s existing design when creating the interiors, which it says are rooted “in the spirit of the building”.
      “In this effort to draw in what was already there, we have integrated the traditional red bricks of the facade in the interior in a modern way,” Norm Architects’ Sofie Thorning told Dezeen.

      “This way, the chosen materials are more accentuated than the ones we normally work with, but still with our usual focus on creating comfortable and calm spaces through the use of natural materials,” she continued.
      Wood was used throughout the spaceThe ground floor was reconfigured by dMFK Architects to improve the flow of the building, with the entrance to Chancery Lane made larger.
      This level holds the cafe as well as lounge areas, which were decorated by Norm Architects using mainly wood and brick materials.
      Floor-to-ceiling glazed walls offer views and access to two interior courtyards, which also let light into the building.
      Norm Architects played with natural materials”By working with natural forms, materials and colors we create spaces that feel good, look good and that last,” Thorning said.
      “When combining soft and hard materials like textile and bricks, the space feels stimulating to the user, while also exuding this warmth that is so important in order to both work and relax in the spaces of the house.”
      Workspaces are located on the upper floors of the buildingThe same material palette was used for the workspaces, which are located from the first floor and up in the eight-storey building.
      Norm Architects also restored some existing materials in the building’s communal spaces.

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      “The dominant materials, colours and patterns of the space all stem from the existing building, [which is] why red bricks, sandstone, concrete, and stainless steel are at the center of attention,” Thornig explained.
      “Moreover, we have preserved existing terrazzo elements in staircases and hallways, while mirroring the green elements of nearby parks within the internal courtyards.”
      Silvery steel details nod to the Silver Vaults below the buildingIn addition, the studio wanted to nod to Chancery House’s location above the Silver Vaults by using silver-coloured materials.
      “Since the London Silver Vaults are a big part of the building’s history and will continue to be so, we knew right away that we wanted to pay homage to it in the interior,” Thorning said.
      “We decided to introduce both brushed and polished stainless steel to the material palette as a representation of silver, carrying it out as details and joinery throughout the building.”
      A jute rug contrasts a patterned-stone coffee tableThe pale wood and red brick used throughout the building were matched with rustic textures, jute rugs and bobbled pillows to add to the natural feel of the interior.
      The building’s exterior was clad in WasteBasedBricks, which incorporate a minimum of 60 per cent recycled building waste. On Chancery House’s roof terrace, warm rust-red steel garden furniture matches the red hue of the brick walls.
      “We wanted to create a project that was mindful of the character of the area, capturing the spirit of the place in the hope that it will serve the neighborhood as a hub grounded in its context,” Thorning concluded.
      Steel and brick decorate the interiors of Chancery HouseNorm Architects often works with natural materials. Other projects by the studio include a “hotel in the sky” in Japan and an inside-out-greenhouse restaurant.
      The photography is by Jake Curtis.

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      2LG Studio brings colour and personality into London family home

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      Ornately corniced ceilings were preserved and painted pastel inside this detached Edwardian house in southeast London, which local firm 2LG Studio has renovated for a returning client.

      Set in the leafy residential area of Forest Hill, the house on Sunderland Road belongs to a couple who needed space for their three young children to grow and play.
      2LG has completed Sunderland Road house in Forest Hill”Having designed this couple’s previous home, we had a strong sense of their tastes and wanted to evolve that for them in this house,” 2LG Studio founders Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead told Dezeen.
      “We wanted to bring out their characters by emboldening their love of colour and finding ways to build pattern and joy into the materiality of the home,” the duo added.
      “The intent here was to respect the period elements of the building, whilst reflecting the modern style of the family who live there.”

      Hand-printed wallpaper by Custhom Studio features in the lounge and hallwayThroughout the house, playful elements are in balance with a more serious aesthetic.
      Instead of treating the home’s elaborate ceiling mouldings separately – as tradition dictates – 2LG Studio applied a colour-block philosophy and painted them in the same pastel tones used across the upper walls and ceilings.
      The studio drew on a range of references for the interior, from 1980s colours to Italian design elements such as marble and Murano glass lighting, all the way to the Scandinavian influences seen in the natural materials and minimalist approach to furnishing.
      The kitchen is defined by sky-blue cabinetry and marble countertopsCreating impact in the entrance hall is a hand-printed wallpaper, designed by 2LG Studio with long-term collaborator Custhom Studio and used here in a bespoke calamine-pink colourway that’s repeated in the connecting spaces throughout the house, as well as in the rear living area.
      “It creates a welcoming, human feel as soon as you enter,” the design team said.
      This ballet-slipper colour is paired with a brighter candy pink, bringing calm and warmth to the overall scheme.
      2LG painted ceilings, mouldings and upper walls in pastel coloursPink-heavy palettes have become a signature for 2LG, also reflected in the natural pink undertones of the extra-wide Douglas fir floorboards that feature throughout the house alongside a grey poured-resin floor in the kitchen.
      “The floorboards set the tone with a nod to Scandi minimalism, adding a natural soul throughout that unites the bolder elements,” said 2LG Studio.

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      In the kitchen, sky-blue cabinetry is used alongside marble countertops and splashbacks, with arched forms uniting the two finishes while pink elements such as bar stools pop against this calm backdrop.
      “The colours are a key part of the atmosphere and identity of this house,” said 2LG. “The blues gets deeper and bolder as you move upstairs into the study and the family bathroom.”
      “Primary red details give structure to the colour palette in the living room. Pastel green in the baby’s room is serene and fresh, warmed up with a mix of wood tones and creams.”
      Pink details feature throughout the home’s interiorsThe project features bespoke joinery including a playhouse on stilts in one of the kids’ rooms alongside existing 2LG pieces such as the Luca bedhead in the loft bedroom and the Tilda sofa, both designed for London furniture company Love Your Home and upholstered here in Kvadrat x Raf Simons fabric.
      “The fitted elements of the furniture give a sense of coherent design and function to the spaces whilst the classic design pieces bring a curated gallery feel, not unlike a contemporary luxury fashion store,” said 2LG Studio.
      2LG designed custom joinery including a stilted playhouseVarious recycled materials provide textural interest throughout the house, among them the recycled plastic wall lights in the living room by Spark and Bell.
      2LG Studio also added a pink Foresso top made using waste wood chips and resin to the dining table, while the bespoke bathroom cabinet was made using leftover Douglas fir floorboards with recycled plastic details by UK company Smile Plastics.
      Pastel green was used to finish the baby’s roomSince Cluroe and Whitehead founded their design practice in 2014 under the name 2 Lovely Gays, the studio has completed a number of residential projects in the British capital.
      Among them is the couple’s own home and office – to which they recently added a garden pavilion with a “touch of Beetlejuice” – and an equally colour-led renovation of a period property in the Heaver Estate conservation area.
      The photography is by Megan Taylor.

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      Bindloss Dawes maximises light and space in London mews house

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      Architecture firm Bindloss Dawes has reorganised a mews house in Chelsea, adding a full-height lightwell with a dramatic oak-and-steel staircase to forge “a sense of volume and theatre”.

      The client initially commissioned Bindloss Dawes to simply create a more spacious kitchen and living area on the lower ground floor of this typical London property and improve its relationship to the garden.
      Bindloss Dawes has completed the Chelsea Mews House in LondonBut as the project progressed, the studio was asked to extend its remit to the entire residence to create a more holistic scheme.
      “Chelsea Mews House highlights that large spaces aren’t always needed,” Bindloss Dawes told Dezeen. “It’s about creating something pragmatic and beautiful that clients will treasure.”
      “This is a small terraced house, and we’ve elevated it by bringing in daylight and giving it a sense of volume and theatre.”

      The house now features a sunken concrete floor in the basementAs part of the renovation, Bindloss Dawes updated the three-storey house from a dark and cramped two-bedroom to a simplified one-bedroom layout, making the most of the awkward trapezoidal plan with its angular walls and junctions.
      Working within the planning constraints of a conservation area in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Bindloss Dawes dropped the level of the lower ground floor to create a more impressive space.
      The studio also added a new three-storey staircase”Digging down 50 centimetres unlocked the opportunity to create new volumes, which in a tight footprint goes a long way to enhancing the spatial quality,” the studio said.
      This newly created spaciousness at the lower level is accentuated by the addition of a lightwell that cuts through all three storeys of the home, connecting them via a custom staircase while drawing sunshine deep into the basement.
      The staircase traverses a full-height lightwell drawing sun into the interior”The previous configuration did the house a disservice,” Bindloss Dawes said. “It has wonderful bones that we have celebrated by opening up and creating a void, which draws light right into the depths of the space.”
      Meanwhile, a subtle glass extension projects approximately 50 centimetres beyond the rear facade into the garden to increase the sense of light and space without significantly altering the exterior.

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      A thoughtful and restrained material palette was crucial to the success of the project, according to Bindloss Dawes.
      “By embracing simplicity, maximising light and space, and employing a careful selection of materials, we’ve crafted a home that balances functionality with elegance,” the studio said.
      Venetian polished plaster in a Marmorino finish by Calfe Crimmings was used on the walls throughout the home, creating a sense of tactility.
      The steps are finished in European oak while the balusters are steelExpressed concrete brings a grounding element to the basement level, with concrete skirting that seamlessly extends onto the steps leading up into the courtyard garden.
      Concrete was also used to form the first flight of the new three-storey staircase, while the upper levels are finished in European oak to match the handrail.
      The steel balusters were painted in the same grey-based white by Farrow & Ball that was also used on woodwork and ceilings throughout the house.
      The bedrooms are hidden behind subtle pocket doorsTo eliminate visual breaks to the lightwell, pocket doors were strategically incorporated at the bedroom level.
      “The project exemplifies how highly detailed yet simple design can work to great effect within tight city footprints,” said Bindloss Dawes.
      The homeowner, a talented craftsman and metalworker, personally designed and created the lighting fixtures, adding a personal touch to the home.
      The home is a traditional mews house in ChelseaPrevious projects from Bindloss Dawes, which was founded by Oliver Bindloss and George Dawes in 2018, include a timber car barn for a collector of classic Porsches.
      The studio is based in Bruton – a village in Somerset that has drawn an increasingly metropolitan crowd in recent years after contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth opened an outpost in the area in 2014.
      The photography is by Building Narratives.

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