It is not uncommon within London's dense urban fabric that a traditional façade should hide a strikingly contemporary interior. Such is the case with the Narrow House in Notting Hill, the most recent residential project of West London-based architect Seth Stein.
The house sits on the site of the former house of fellow architect Amanda Levete and her late husband, Jan Kaplický, and while it is a new-build, the original external façade was kept intact to accord with local building regulations. The current owner used it as a temporary exhibition space before rebuilding it and putting on the market; it currently is on sale for £9 million via Aylesford and Pilcher Hershman.
Discreet and seemingly small from the outside, the house is in fact a rather substantial 350 sq m, owing its size to its long - extending to 26 m - and narrow layout. With the long volume cleverly broken down by several terraces arranged around an internal courtyard, the building is filled with light. A striking gold leaf-covered corridor wall further distributes the daylight.
Spread across four levels, Narrow House includes three principal bedroom suites and a guest room, as well as living and dining rooms, kitchen, study, media room and a gym with plunge pool. The material palette features polished concrete flooring and ash wood paneling - the architect's self-confessed passion - in many of the rooms. The structure achieves a very high environmental rating by incorporating photovoltaic glazing and solar panels, rainwater harvesting and high thermal insulation.
With its clever layout out and carefully thought out material selection, we can't see Narrow House hanging around on the market for long.
Discreet and seemingly small from the outside, the house is in fact a rather substantial 350 sq m, owing its size to its long (extending to 26 m) and narrow layout
Architect Seth Stein has entirely reworked the house to maximise the sense of space
With the long volume cleverly broken down by several terraces arranged around an internal courtyard, the building is filled with light
Spread across four levels, Narrow House includes three principal bedroom suites and a guest room, as well as living and dining rooms, a kitchen, study, media room and a gym with plunge pool
The structure achieves a very high environmental rating by incorporating photovoltaic glazing and solar panels, rainwater harvesting and high thermal insulation
The plunge pool in the basement
One of the strikingly modern bathrooms
The material palette features ash wood paneling - the architect’s self-confessed passion - in many of the rooms, as well as the cabinets and kitchen
An upstairs bedroom leads onto and decked terrace
The garage
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