Art Collectors Home

We recently completed a full restoration of a Grade II listed property in Holland Park (London) for a family of art collectors, to display their life long collection.

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This completed family home is a Grade II listed building in Holland Park, London W11. The project involved a full house renovation, measuring 3,615sq.ft, of the 6-storey property which was updated to suit more modern living. 

With the building being listed and protected by Historic England, approval was required for the internal works. This was not only applicable to the reconfiguration of room layouts, but also relevant to any other design changes that could potentially change the character of this historic building. The most challenging design consideration was integrating the new with the existing features.
The clients holds a large diverse artwork collection which has been collected over many years. We strived to create spaces and palettes that would ‘stage’ the artwork, rather than the architecture becoming too dominant. To achieve this, the design had to be minimal and sympathetic, whilst respecting the character and features of the property. 

The main aspect of the project was to ‘open up’ the raised ground floor and provide access to the rear garden, by linking the kitchen and dining areas. A clear sightline was achieved from the front part of the raised ground floor through to the back of the garden. This design approach allowed more generous space and daylight into the rooms as well as creating a visual connection to the rear garden. Kitchen and furniture units were designed using a shaker style with deep colours on top of herringbone wooden flooring to fit in with the traditional architectural elements such as the skirting and architraves. 

The drawing room and study are presented on the first floor, which acted as the main gallery space of the house. Restoration of the fireplaces, cornicing and other original features were carried out, with a simple backdrop of new materials chosen, in order to provide a subtle backdrop to showcase the art on the wall. 

Elsewhere, on the upper floors a sympathetic refurbishment wad carried out, with carpet and wallpaper providing more warmth to these areas. The original staircase with mahogany handrail was restored where damaged, French polished, and the treads finished with a stair runner. A number or bespoke carpentry items were designed which included a mirrored oak wardrobe to the master bedroom, wine cellar, kitchen, study and library units.