Belsize Park II

This is a luxurious renovation of an Edwardian terraced house in NW3 Belsize Park, North London.

We were approached to transform a dilapidated property with multiple occupancy into a single-family dwelling. This included adding a new full basement, rear and loft extension, new superstructure with services and a complete internal re-modelling of the property. The brief was to create a contemporary home for a family of four with a drawing room, media room, open-plan kitchen, dining space, playroom, bespoke garden, wine cellar and five double bedrooms and bathrooms.

The striking new rear extension has a full height structural silicone glazing and black back-painted glass cladding. This adds a crisp modern edge to the rear of the house that blends comfortably with the traditional surroundings. The dramatic, voluminous, high ceiling spaces add to an open plan living lifestyle with long glass slotted roof lights that bring daylight down into the heart of the ground floor and basement. Full height, very wide glass sliding doors connect the ground floor area to the landscape designed garden. The new, full subterranean excavated basement draws daylight in from an open front light-well and relies on an external walk-on glass floor slot at the rear for its daylight.

Great consideration was given to the historical building when formulating our design which is open-plan and contemporary in terms of layout. The renovation is a blend of meticulous restoration of the traditional architectural details of the facades with an internal renovation that is cutting edge yet respectful and complimentary of its historic character. The refurbished new home brings period living up to date with our modern-day requirements for a smart home.

We always aim to increase the size of a house and its value while we create much needed space and redefine the layouts to suit a comfortable and sensible lifestyle. We seek to add a dramatic contrast between old and new that exceeds our clients’ expectations and becomes a home that they are proud of. 

In line with our design ethos our objectives are to deliver a clean, timeless, and modern design while working closely with our client to celebrate their personal preferences and lifestyle. This project is a result of the collaboration with our clients, a process we see as the weaving of their ideas with our enthusiasm to create a unique project. The result is a bespoke product as can be seen from these images. We also worked closely with several craftsmen and bespoke joinery companies to deliver this project successfully.

This exciting concept allowed us to combine old and new by experimenting with the following design concepts and materials:

- A combination of timber framed glass balustrade down to the new basement set against the restored existing timber staircase that is ornated with detail. The primary staircase was also extended into the loft which utilised a new fully turned handrail to match the existing with matching timber spindles and treads.
- Contrasted modern materials with traditional to create a strong bond between old and new which can be seen with natural wood against expansive clear glass, micro cement flooring against hand laid oak parquet with high-tech waterjet cut mosaic tiling to our bespoke designs.

- Lighting is always very important; we successfully lit the house with the bare minimum of downlighters. The lighting installation was all achieved via well concealed LED light slots creating dramatic spaces with ambience.

This project is also published on Houzz, Architizer and Archello.

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