WETHERBY GARDENS (London)
Wetherby Gardens, an Italianate Kensington town house dating from 1876, comprehensively refurbished and extended. The project involved a detailed planning stage to obtain consent to extend at the rear and roof level within a sensitive heritage context. Preserving the most significant pieces of the original architecture, the new building opens and expands onto the private gardens to the rear, and includes a new penthouse level. The three completed apartments, arranged over 7 storeys, are fitted out to a very high quality of finish.
The façade retention structure was integrated with the demolition sequence. The permanent structure was then threaded through. Great attention to the structure, the acoustic design, and the integration of services, ensure the building’s scale and grandeur was preserved on each floor
The palette of materials is maintained consistently throughout. A range of Italian marbles – Statuario, Portoro, Carrara – have been inlaid into the reception areas, halls and staircases. Walnut, treated with a hard wax oil, is employed to the floors and handrails. The original elements of the interiors such as window linings, doors and cornices were faithfully reproduced in the completed building. Much of the original building fabric was entirely replaced – we adopted a conservation-based approach to renovation but also were able to ensure a highly insulated envelope and carefully integrated building services.
