Little Venice Residence

Originate created a modern refurbishment of this historic residence in London’s Little Venice area. The residence had almost completely lost it historic architectural details, so our design focussed on the reinstatement of the plasterwork, panelled doors, fireplaces, timber floors and the cantilevered stone staircase. We designed new timber joinery that was deliberately modern in order to contrast with the historic context. We wanted to create a clear reading between the building’s history, and its current modern use.

In the main reception rooms, important mid-century furniture pieces by Zalszupin and Jeanneret complement art by Basquiat, Haring and Calder. On the lower ground floor level, the kitchen and dining areas have a minimal, modern look with polished concrete floors and white walls. An eight-metre long marble island forms the centrepiece to the new kitchen. On the first floor, we located the study, master bedroom, master bathroom and dressing rooms. The client wanted as few doors as possible, so that the rooms seemed to ‘flow’ into one another.

Our work in London and Europe is often a refurbishment of historic residences. Originate seeks to respect the building that we are working with, especially the proportions of the rooms. Working closely with the client, we strive to intepret the property in a modern way. We believe in the quality of the space and, wherever possible, increase the ceiling heights to bring in as much light as possible. With this house, we combined rooms via new arched openings to create a greater feeling of space. We believe that even working within the contraints of the refurbishment of an historic residence, we can bring in modern touches and create a home that works for the present, but respects its past. The house has been featured in a high-quality coffee table book, Cosmopolitan Living, also in important international magazines.