Kensington Townhouse

A beautiful Kensington townhouse set over four storeys which blends contemporary design with timeless elegance, this is a great example of a full Zulufish design and build project. The clients wanted us to create a very glamorous urban space, combining striking materiality and layered textures.

In its original layout it was a challenging house that needed reconfiguring to maximise space for the whole family. It had a low-ceilinged lower ground floor which was very disconnected, housing a garage space at the front, with storage running alongside and small, compartmentalised storage rooms behind.

One of the first steps was to open up the entrance hallway, introducing bespoke black and white marble flooring and installing an internal glazed feature window, to create a welcoming space to greet guests and allow for views of the garden as soon as you walk in. A Pierre Frey armchair and olive trees providing a warm welcome in the light entryway.

The formal sitting room runs the full width of the building and features artwork by Mark Wright with greens and blues that echo all the colours from the garden. This piece dictated the palette of the room. HUX designed a bespoke media wall in polished plaster to reflect the same tonal colours, and the design is grounded with a Jennifer Manners rug.

A study and striking powder room with Salvatori wall tiles, complete the ground floor.

The house featured an original beautiful circular staircase moving up through the property, but only from the upper ground floor up. As part of connecting the spaces we extended this down into the basement to seamlessly connect the spaces.

The principle challenge on this level was the floor to ceiling height, so we dropped the floor floor to create a sense of grandeur, allowing the space to breathe. We also opened up the space and added a large extension at the back to create a cocooning kitchen, dining and living space. The scheme features layers of luxury fabrics and textured metallics such as burnished brass, oxidised copper and bronze, along with Mortex microcement which seamlessly covers the entire lower ground floor and walls.

The kitchen was designed in partnership with HUX and features chunky Dekton worktops with a bespoke veneer and modern Gaggenau appliances. Gallotti & Radice pendants hang above the kitchen island and the Angelo Galmarini dining table, creating a cohesive and ambient lighting scheme.

Further additional storage has been creatively added along a wall of wide slatted panelling, extending the look and feel of the kitchen into the living space while concealing useful push to open pantry and storage cupboards.

Screened from the dining space by a three- sided glass fire, the extension lends itself perfectly to a family seating area, strikingly defined by a large architectural roof light, flooding the space with natural light. To introduce characterful pieces within this space, we redesigned a vintage Roche Bobois sofa and upholstered this in a material reminiscent of a Chanel fabric.

The former garage and storage are now a guestroom, guest bathroom, functional utility incorporating a mud room with bench seat, and a bespoke wine room.

We also lowered the level of the garden to ensure a seamless flow and created a two–tiered space which extends the living area from indoor to out with an outdoor kitchen, bench seating and a calm, tranquil place to eat alfresco.

On the first floor, the snug reflects the clients’ avid love of music. We designed a bespoke wall of art, featuring the artwork from his 12 all-time favourite albums, complemented by a bespoke HUX storage wall containing much-loved vinyl and music books.

The master suite is light and airy with abundant layers of texture. A Jennifer Manners rug grounds a sumptuous Kingsize bed clad in Kvadrat Sahco fabric while a luxuriously spacious dressing room with open display cabinets and glass shelving by HUX leads along to the zen like ensuite.

The second floor comprises two ensuite kids’ bedrooms, each space adroitly tailored to each of the children, the verdant green of the boy’s bathroom contrasting perfectly with the black sanitaryware accessories.