A modest mews house in Lancaster Gate, London, has radically transformed into a family home. Neil Dusheiko Architects were asked to turn a former industrial unit housing a clothing showroom into a family home in a Mews behind Hyde Park.
The L-shaped terrace is located in the Bayswater Conservation Area and occupies a snug corner of a cul-de-sac, historically the coach house quarters to Georgian properties behind.
Awards won:
British Homes Awards Winner in two categories:
The existing property was laid out over three floors, with a small loft conversion and ground floor commercial space, over time this had begun to encroach on first-floor residential living. The client wanted to turn the property back into a full family home, with a garage and roof terrace.
The tight site required close consideration to the neighbours, and the conservation area meant limitations to any outside changes.
The mews terrace shares party walls with a hotel on one side and residential property on the other. At the rear, the garden sloped upwards to back onto a church where the surrounding outdoor space is elevated. As a result, the light was restricted to the house at ground floor level, and to protect privacy, the first-floor windows were set high up, with just one small window in the dormer above.
The architectural design team proposed a central stair core designed to anchor the layout: on the ground floor, car parking sits one side with a spare bedroom, kitchenette and shower on the other; the first floor divides into a kitchen-dining area and separate living room; and on the second floor, the master bedroom ensuite is split from a smaller bedroom and shower room.
The project was designed for a Danish client and so creating a sense of Hygge was important.
Inside the property, the sense of Danish identity pervades with key elements of Danish interior design on show such as furniture by Montana, Carl Hansen, Hans J. Wegner and lights by Louis Poulsen. All sitting on floors supplied by Dinesen. The kitchen was hand made by Martin Moore.
We pushed the Hygge atmosphere as much as we can for our Danish client. This has been one of those projects where we reset everything we knew about architecture to explore anew to create a specific atmosphere for a client to live in. I think we got there!
Neil was given the task of designing for a full renovation of a classic London Mews House, from business premises to a private home. We discussed my requirements, and I was very pleased with the beautiful design that Neil completed. So were the planners and the scheme was approved as he designed it.
Throughout the building operation, we were able to work together to bring this design to fruition. Neil was most cooperative in finding creative answers to my ideas as well as incorporating many of his own.
Neil and his team worked with the builders in making sure that everything was completed to an extraordinarily high standard. I am delighted with the final stunning result – it is a complete joy to live there!
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