Houzz Tour: An Uninhabitable Building Is Beautifully Restored
Architects work within constraints to revive a historic London home with a glassed-in addition and an elegant design
Victoria Harrison
June 28, 2017
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
There are lightweight restoration projects, and then there are total restoration projects. When the owners took on this 1820 townhouse in London, it definitely fell into the latter camp. “It had been left unoccupied for over 10 years before the current owners purchased the property, and it was totally uninhabitable,” says Elizabeth Webster of Fraher Architects, “so the owners asked us to help them bring it back to life.” The end result? A stunning and sensitively restored building with a thoughtfully updated interior.
Photos by Jack Hobhouse
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: London
Size: Two bedrooms, one bathroom
Architect: Fraher Architects
The fact that the home was uninhabitable in many ways made the restoration straightforward. “It meant there was a very clear scope” of work, Webster says. “The building is Grade II-listed, which also meant that we had quite clear guidelines to work within.”
The owners didn’t require anything additional in terms of accommodation, but they wanted the living room and the sitting room to be more connected, and for the house to have a strong link to the garden. To achieve this, Fraher Architects opened up the ground floor, creating an open-plan living space, and designed a new glassed-in side addition to draw light into the building.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: London
Size: Two bedrooms, one bathroom
Architect: Fraher Architects
The fact that the home was uninhabitable in many ways made the restoration straightforward. “It meant there was a very clear scope” of work, Webster says. “The building is Grade II-listed, which also meant that we had quite clear guidelines to work within.”
The owners didn’t require anything additional in terms of accommodation, but they wanted the living room and the sitting room to be more connected, and for the house to have a strong link to the garden. To achieve this, Fraher Architects opened up the ground floor, creating an open-plan living space, and designed a new glassed-in side addition to draw light into the building.
“Our clients knew they needed to renovate the building sensitively,” Webster says, “but they wanted to introduce a clean, contemporary aesthetic into the space. Our concept and challenge was to breathe new life into all of the rooms while respecting the heritage of this listed building and restoring some of the lost historic detailing.”
By restoring period-appropriate features such as fireplaces, wall paneling, architraves and baseboards to their original condition, Webster was able to retain and celebrate the history of this building. Sticking to a minimalist palette achieved a modern look.
Flooring: Havwoods
By restoring period-appropriate features such as fireplaces, wall paneling, architraves and baseboards to their original condition, Webster was able to retain and celebrate the history of this building. Sticking to a minimalist palette achieved a modern look.
Flooring: Havwoods
Because the footprint of the house is relatively compact, the owners were clear that they wanted to limit the use of dark colors and heavy materials. This increased the sense of space throughout the house.
The armchair and the coffee table in the living room area were chosen for their delicate midcentury forms. The elegant tapered legs and clean lines suit the petite dimensions of the room, and they allow light to filter through to the adjoining space.
Windows: Oriell
The armchair and the coffee table in the living room area were chosen for their delicate midcentury forms. The elegant tapered legs and clean lines suit the petite dimensions of the room, and they allow light to filter through to the adjoining space.
Windows: Oriell
Before Photo
Before: This photo gives an idea of the scale of restoration required.
After: A library nook offers a peaceful place to read or work. The built-in shelving is also a streamlined storage solution.
“When we are first approached by a new client, we try to find out, as early as possible, how they live,” Webster says. “This allows us to build up a really clear idea of what they expect and need from their home.”
“When we are first approached by a new client, we try to find out, as early as possible, how they live,” Webster says. “This allows us to build up a really clear idea of what they expect and need from their home.”
The kitchen opens to the side addition, which also acts as a dining and entertaining area, so the owners asked for cabinets that would blend into the background and reflect light around the space.
Shape London, Fraher Architects’ sister company, designed and installed custom cabinets to fit the space and the clients’ goals.
Shape London, Fraher Architects’ sister company, designed and installed custom cabinets to fit the space and the clients’ goals.
A run of compact upper cabinets and bigger base units keeps clutter hidden, and a neat rail offers hanging storage for a few pots and pans.
“Everything in this home had to be a small, considered gesture. Anything else would have been too big for the space, so we were small and bespoke in our offerings, and avoided anything too brash and bold,” Webster says.
“Everything in this home had to be a small, considered gesture. Anything else would have been too big for the space, so we were small and bespoke in our offerings, and avoided anything too brash and bold,” Webster says.
The addition brings a contemporary feel to the house and lets in light, but it was carefully considered. “It was important to still be able to read the language of the existing building,” Webster says, “which is why the frame had to be light.”
The frame also blurs the boundaries between inside and out. To emphasize this effect, the herringbone design of the flooring extends out to the garden in the form of block paving.
The frame also blurs the boundaries between inside and out. To emphasize this effect, the herringbone design of the flooring extends out to the garden in the form of block paving.
The addition stretches across what was an alleyway, and connects the indoor and outdoor spaces.
In the courtyard garden, patio furniture and practical hard flooring create the feel of an outdoor room, perfect for entertaining in the summer. The block paving was picked because there is an off-street parking space at the back of the property, so the courtyard has to occasionally work as a driveway.
In the courtyard garden, patio furniture and practical hard flooring create the feel of an outdoor room, perfect for entertaining in the summer. The block paving was picked because there is an off-street parking space at the back of the property, so the courtyard has to occasionally work as a driveway.
Before Photo
Before Photo
Before: The house was in a derelict state when the owners bought it.
After: A dining table tucks neatly into the new addition, offering a sunny spot for meals and conversation, with views out to the courtyard garden. “It’s a small extension, so we really had to make the most of the space,” Webster says. The artwork over the table brings character.
Pendant lights: The Conran Shop
Pendant lights: The Conran Shop
Upstairs there are two bedrooms and one bathroom and, as with the downstairs, the challenge was to make the spaces work as well as they could within the existing footprint.
Opting for floor-to-ceiling fitted storage increases the sense of space in the main bedroom, and the paneling is true to the house’s history. The painted window frame is a smart way to bring color and character to the room without adding clutter.
Opting for floor-to-ceiling fitted storage increases the sense of space in the main bedroom, and the paneling is true to the house’s history. The painted window frame is a smart way to bring color and character to the room without adding clutter.
A carefully designed bathroom packs in a lot of functionality.
“Working with compact bathrooms can be a spatial-planning maze,” Webster says. But by keeping the layout simple and streamlined, Webster managed to make space for two sinks, a toilet, a walk-in shower and a bathtub without the room feeling cramped.
“Working with compact bathrooms can be a spatial-planning maze,” Webster says. But by keeping the layout simple and streamlined, Webster managed to make space for two sinks, a toilet, a walk-in shower and a bathtub without the room feeling cramped.
Small mosaic tiles work well in this space. The mottled design adds interest, while the pale colors ensure that the space still feels bright and airy.
Opening up the ceiling to the roofline adds vertical space.
Opening up the ceiling to the roofline adds vertical space.
Opting for a folding door helped make it possible to fit both a walk-in shower and a tub into the compact bathroom.
Cabinetry: Shape London
Cabinetry: Shape London
The clever folding door that connects the bathroom and the hallway folds back completely against the hallway wall when open; it’s a smart solution for small-space living.
The building has a “butterfly” roof, which is typical of this type of property. Because of the house’s heritage status, the roofline couldn’t be altered.
As a result, the architects had to make sure that the existing floor plan worked as efficiently as possible, which influenced the entire project and resulted in a thoughtful and sympathetic restoration.
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As a result, the architects had to make sure that the existing floor plan worked as efficiently as possible, which influenced the entire project and resulted in a thoughtful and sympathetic restoration.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
We believe that the transition of a house into a home is a sense of history and a piece of the future. It tells... Read More
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Thank you for this lovely piece of history HU (do you have a nickname?). I love to hear about the people who live/lived in a house, so interesting.
Thanks from me too Hu + lots of numbers! Amazing how these old properties fetch astronomical prices nowadays. However...
I read a billboard on a new housing development where they were comparing heating costs of the old v the new. I felt like scrawling across it 'These houses may be cheaper to run but they certainly won't be standing in 100yrs time!' (Especially, I could add, when already doorbells don't work and letterboxes are hanging off!!!) Today's housing estates are thrown up, not built! And often hideous to boot!
So... small wonder then that the old places increase in value...
Dark blue bathrooms