HOUSE 11
Bringing modernity to a Georgian townhouse that had not been touched in eighty years was a resounding success for Studio Indigo
The house was a time capsule,’ explains Mike Fisher, creative director and founder of interior design company Studio Indigo, who was commissioned to renovate this Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in London. ‘It was like stepping back in time. The house hadn’t been decorated since the 1940s – it even had a little bomb damage – with most of the original architectural features from the 1820s still evident.’
The owner, Nathalie Hirst, is a property buyer and, according to Mike, has a good eye in terms of buying in the right location and looking at what the important qualities are in a house. ‘She knows what she likes and doesn’t like, what would add value to the property, and what was important to make it feel special.’
Bringing the property into the 21st century necessitated planning permission, although Studio Indigo was limited in terms of the structural work that could be done because it is a listed building.
‘The starting point was the rear extension and how we could make the closet wing at the back feel like it was much more part of the house,’ says Mike.
The original form of the closet wing was retained, but the ground floor was extended and opened up so that a space comprising the kitchen, sitting and dining areas forms the convivial heart of the home.
In addition, spaces were reworked to create en-suite bathrooms that are modern ‘but not so ultra modern that they are out of character with the house’.
Although the house is quite small – less than 3,000 square feet – the priority of Tyché McCaig, Studio Indigo’s director and project architect, was to make it feel as large as possible. This was done by opening up links between rooms and creating views from one space to the next and to the garden. ‘It feels like everything is on a miniature scale and it’s perfect,’ she notes.
Because the building is part of a terrace, Studio Indigo was also able to build on the approvals that were bestowed on neighbouring houses and so was able to reintroduce a light well at the front of the house to tease natural light into the basement. Restoring and reinstating the period details, such as panelling, cornices, skirtings and architraves, was also a priority.
