An award winning beautiful West London mews house and family home that marries environmental measures with ambitious, timeless design. Read more
The Mews House is a period property located in the heart of leafy West London and Winner of RIBA's Regional Award, 2022, AJ's Retrofit Award (Best House), 2022 and was shortlisted for the RIBA House of The Year Award 2022.
Alongside architects Prewett Bizley, Carter Ower's were commissioned to breathe new life into this family home, the result of which is an ambitious yet effortless light-filled space that boasts excellent environmental credentials.
Built in the 19th-Century as a working building, the house’s exterior period charm was not matched by its interiors, which suffered from limited daylight and view. Prewett Bizley, seeking to flood the darkest corners of the house with light, introduced a large, central stairwell and a new skylight above, along with vistas opening onto each of the stair’s associated rooms. A number of sustainable measures were also introduced.
Carter Owers have built on these environmental foundations, without compromising on style, through thoughtful design interventions such as up-cycling pieces and using paints and papers with low VOC credentials. Harmony with Prewett Bizley’s new structural elements, such as the large oak staircase, has also been created in the kitchen where there exists a warm and inviting blend of smoked walnut cabinetry, natural stone worktops and timber floors. Adjacent the house’s generous square format is celebrated with an open plan living and dining area. Here, muted colours and natural fabrics allow the room’s impressive proportions and carefully chosen design pieces to take centre stage.
One level up and the staircase opens to an arrangement of rooms that includes the guest and master bedrooms. Like the living spaces below, the overall palette of oak floors, muted walls and generous wall-to-wall drapes in natural linens feels softly sophisticated and a successful backdrop to the owners’ impressive art collection. The second-floor children’s bedrooms, however, offer a more whimsical take on decoration with painted floorboards, matchboard wainscotting and hand-blocked wallpaper.
The house’s three bathrooms offer up distinct and delightful variations on a theme. Each one is a different composition of stone, ceramic and terrazzo providing three very different atmospheres that make the act of washing and bathing a pleasure. Concealed behind a sliding door in the dressing room, the impressive master bathroom boasts highly figured cipollino floor and walls, colour matched custom joinery and Vola brassware. The family bathroom’s aesthetic is one of contrasts. In this space, old mixes with new: a butter-colour reclaimed sink, yellow terrazzo floors and a flush bespoke cabinetry. Meanwhile, in a playful departure, the second floor en-suite mixes coral colour glazed tiles and black terrazzo with premium Lefroy Brooks fittings.
In relation to the furniture specification, the aim was to choose responsibly while building a high quality, enduring collection that would last a lifetime. The selection blends 19th century antiques, vintage design icons, modern day classics and custom craft pieces. Punctuating the interiors are notable designs from Isokon, Benchmark, Flos, Knoll, Flexform, Vitra, Atelier Arreti and Anglepoise, which appear throughout.
Spacious, impeccably styled, and with plenty of storage, our sensitive renovation of this period property has transformed it into a family home designed for contemporary living. Through paying close attention to how the building works as a whole and by using a sophisticated yet unpretentious selection of materials, we have created the perfect space for a family to evolve and grow in. Read less
