A 1970’s townhouse in Highgate in London has recently been given a a total redesign and refurbishment, resulting in a fantastic composition of spaces that are chic yet elegant in every way. Designed by UK design firm, LLI Design, this 4-storey house, known as the Southwood Townhouse was recently purchased by a young couple who wanted to maintain the 70’s retro ambience but toned down to have a more current feel.
“The house had tremendous potential and the new owners, a young professional couple, wanted to embrace the 1970’s feel, rather than try to ignore it, albeit not in a cliched way,” say the designers. “Top of their wish list was a contemporary glass and steel open tread staircase and a master bathroom with a distinctive wow factor.”
While spaces are proportionate in terms of size and scale, with each receiving natural light, the overall layout for all of its four floors was cramped and dark. This called for a complete makeover to allow better flow and circulation within the home’s interior spaces.
The designer started with the existing staircase that led from the lower ground to the upper ground floor by removing and replacing it with a new, feature open tread glass and steel staircase towards the back of the house to maximise the lower ground floor space. The internal walls on this floor were also all removed to create an expansive and welcoming space.
“Due to its lack of natural daylight, this floor worked extremely well as a living / TV room,” the designers say. “The new open timber tread, steel stringer with glass balustrade staircase was designed to sit easily within the existing building and to complement the original 1970’s spiral staircase.”
At the upper ground floor, the mood changes dramatically. Thanks to the colour palette of soft cream, yellow, and pale blue with key accent pieces in black, the ambience is calm and inviting. The designers also minimized the visual impact of the new staircase by installing a glass balustrade with no handrail. To maintain a sense of quiet elegance, the furniture choices were kept simple as this room had to function as a dining area as well as a living room.
“A bespoke fitted banquette was designed for the return besides the staircase, adjacent to the kitchen. This was lit from behind with LED strips, throwing a gentle light up the wall. Adding a round table, two dining chairs, a matte black accent pendant lamp over the table and artwork above helped to define the dining area. Although it had a small footprint the dining area can comfortably sit 6 people,” the designers explain.
In the kitchen, calming hues were used, with pale khaki units and a cream composite worktop. A small breakfast bar was added and dramatic dark bronze tiles created a backsplash between the top of the counter and the bottom of the units. Going upstairs, the second floor was reconfigured from a series of separate rooms into a stylish master suite, with an open plan bathroom featuring a statement freestanding bath.
This project has been awarded “Best Interior Design Private Residence London” in the UK Property Awards – 2015 / 2016.
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