Belgravia Residence

Overview

Designed for an international family relocating to London, the residence focused on restoring proportion and warmth within a formal Georgian framework. Layered textures, softened architectural transitions, and custom detailing introduced a quieter contemporary language while preserving the integrity of the original structure.

Design concept

The house had been through two previous renovations, each of which had addressed the surface without attending to the structure beneath it. Our first decision was to remove what had been added and allow the original Georgian proportions to reassert themselves. What remained was a set of rooms with a natural authority — high ceilings, deep reveals, precise cornicing — that needed not to be redesigned, but to be heard.

"The brief was warmth within formality. The design answer was restraint — because the house, once cleared, was already warm. It had simply been covered."

Approach

Custom joinery was designed to sit quietly within the existing architectural language — not mimicking the Georgian detail, but rhyming with it. Material choices throughout favored longevity and tactile quality over novelty. Every finish was selected for how it would read in ten years, not just on the day of installation.

Key Collaborators

• Foster + Partners (structural consultation)

• Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler (antique sourcing)

• Jim Lawrence (bespoke ironmongery)

• Bert & May (encaustic tile, lower ground floor)

Outcome

The family moved in six weeks after installation completed. Three months later, they asked us to begin the secondary residence. That, more than any single room, is the measure we apply to a project.