Emerging London architecture practice and 2021 Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory alumnus O'Sullivan Skoufoglou has just completed Kensington Place, a meticulous and masterful renovation and extension of an existing property in west London. The house, a family home for a pair of art lovers, represents not only a comfortable and functional Kensington interior; it is also a masterclass in balancing domestic warmth, function and Nordic minimalism.
The project, a mid-19th century Victorian terraced house within a conservation area, was a brief from a family who had lived there since the 1970s – but now, with grown children who had fled the nest, wanted to readdress their home's arrangement and interiors to suit their changing needs and circumstances. Unifying the lower-ground level, which felt fragmented, defined by a low ceiling, and redesigning its existing conservatory, were key parts of the commissioning programme, explain the architects, who looked at creating ‘open, liveable spaces connected to the once-forgotten courtyard space at the rear'.
The team, led by firm co-founders Jody O'Sullivan and Amalia Skoufoglou, got to work, crafting an interior wrapped in warm wood in soft tones and clean surfaces that foster serenity and an overall uncluttered feel. An attitude that nods to Nordic minimalism is reinforced by natural wood throughout and luscious flooring in generous Douglas fir planks.
At the same time, the rear was completely reimagined into a pink-hued garden pavilion. ‘The new rear wall has one large opening to allow the utmost light into the space and to enhance the conversation with the intimate garden. Its materiality, red porphyry stone and custom-made iroko sliding timber frames, was considered with attention and careful evaluation to its context, envisioned to be sympathetic with the historic fabric yet durable,' the architects say.
The new aesthetic approach is supported by careful fine-tuning of the home's functionality too – with new ventilation techniques, enhanced natural lighting throughout and a reinvented layout that separates public and private areas smartly across floors – helping to transform this home into a thoroughly refreshed, 21st-century Kensington interior.
INFORMATION
-
Re-style the source of your favourite sounds with the new Bang & Olufsen Atelier serviceBang & Olufsen Atelier brings macro-level colour and material customisation to the Danish manufacturer’s wide range of hi-fidelity devices. We delve into the sample drawer
-
Rétromobile revisits some of the icons of car design, along with their modern descendantsWe tour the halls of Rétromobile Paris 2025 and take in remastered automotive classics, futuristic record-breakers and mighty monographs
-
Designer Danny Kaplan’s Manhattan showroom is also his apartment: the live-work space reimaginedDanny Kaplan’s Manhattan apartment is an extension of his new showroom, itself laid out like a home; he invites us in, including a first look at his private quarters
-
Inside Powerhouse: The redevelopment of Lots Road Power Station, which once fuelled the London UndergroundThe twin-turreted building has followed in the footsteps of Battersea Power Station, being transformed into luxury homes and retail units
-
Sadler’s Wells East opens: ‘grand, unassuming and beautifully utilitarian’Sadler’s Wells East by O’Donnell and Tuomey opens this week, showing off its angular brick forms in London
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her designThe 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
-
We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited aboutThese emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
-
From a mobile pub to a thatched canopy: Japanese architecture and craft explored at AA show in London'Distillation of Architecture', a new AA show in London, pairs architects with materials and makers in an exploration of craft through the Japanese lens
-
A library in a London telephone box? This is a charming reading nook full of surprisesSet in a restored London telephone box, Upper Street Little Library is a cosy beacon to encourage reading to the wider community
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
