A spectacularly airy house hidden behind an unassuming façade in east London
One of the wonderful things about a city as historic as London is that each building evolves and takes on new incarnations constantly. The result is that you never quite know what to expect behind the door of an unassuming terraced house. The wrought-iron gate, white-painted windows and pale brick exterior of this Victorian house in east London reveal little of the luminous, multi-level expanse behind it. Even less expected is the bountiful L-shaped back garden, which features a natural swimming pool and a sauna that feel worlds away from the busy surrounding streets.
The owner has a demanding work schedule and wanted ‘both a sanctuary away from a busy London life and a place to socialise and entertain’, says Nathaniel Mosley, who, along with Henry Thorold, founded architectural studio Mosley Thorold in 2017. In fulfilling the brief, they have sensitively added a new chapter to the house’s story, while preserving the elements that root it in its past.
‘We visited the house with our client before he bought it and could immediately see that, although it needed a lot of work, there was huge potential to unlock,’ recalls Nathaniel. The house, including the basement, had been renovated in the 1970s, but not necessarily to its advantage. The lower-ground floor was divided into small, dark rooms with ‘an awkward circulation and a staircase right in the middle, blocking off the space’. Upstairs, many of the Victorian details had been taken out and replaced with modern additions. ‘Our client wanted the whole space to have a country-house-meets-the-city atmosphere, and for it to feel like an oasis,’ he says.
‘The journey downstairs was important,’ Henry points out. ‘We wanted to be able to see the garden from the front door and to have the space open up in front of you as you walk down the steps.’ One of the first-floor rooms was replaced with an open staircase leading down to a double-height library space on one side and a kitchen, dining and sitting room on the other. This new staircase, coupled with double-height windows was, he says, ‘a big spatial move that unlocked everything – you can read the space as a whole. There are constant glimpses of the garden and it feels like an increasingly expansive and always diverting journey.’
Unsurprisingly for a practice that describes its approach to architecture as ‘making-focused’, materiality and craft play an important role here. Working within the footprint of the original extension, Nathaniel and Henry installed robust timber and exposed-steel beams painted oxide red, Patagonia stone slabs and the wood from church pews, repurposed as floorboards. The bespoke kitchen by Matthew King is made from old chemistry benches. The extension’s exterior was embellished with tactile pillars, made by pouring liquid concrete into wooden moulds. These were reinforced with Corten-steel beams, the reddish colour of which is mirrored in large, bespoke planters on the terrace.
Much of the house has been designed to celebrate the outside space, which was masterminded by Sophie Gordon. ‘The focus is on tranquillity and envelopment, with a dash of drama,’ says the designer, who described the previous garden as ‘a dark thicket of overgrown shrubs’ with low-hanging, light-blocking branches. Sophie cleared these and nurtured an existing sunshine-yellow mahonia, which is now framed by Japanese anemones, foxgloves and ferns. ‘I created a tunnel effect with tree ferns – their fronds arch over the stepping stones leading to the pool area.’
For the house’s decoration, Nathaniel worked with the owner to incorporate a harmonious mixture of new bespoke pieces and antiques sourced from auction houses. ‘It was important to add layers to the space so it doesn’t feel too contemporary,’ he explains. The dining area is anchored by a large table designed by Nathaniel and Henry, though the library opposite is perhaps the best example of this approach. Here, bespoke sofas flank antique Persian rugs, while an extra-tall rolling ladder, made by metalworker Christopher Willis, stretches against the bookcases.
Among the innovation is its counterbalance: preservation. The upper three floors include two formal sitting rooms, two bed-rooms and two bathrooms, and satisfy the country element of the brief. ‘The funny thing about upstairs is that it’s as if it’s always looked like that, but we had to redo a lot of it,’ says Nathaniel.
Alongside a new, winding staircase, they installed an archway between the ground-floor sitting room and the hallway, laid salvaged floorboards, and added Victorian-style sash windows and French windows that lead out from the piano room to the terrace. They reinstated cornicing and skirting, and introduced a palette of light colours to keep the space airy.
When asked how they managed to create a sense of harmony between the old and new areas, the answer is satisfyingly succinct. ‘Victorian buildings were crafted by hand and celebrated what materials could do,’ explains Nathaniel. ‘And it is the same with contemporary design. It’s about emulating the craft-led approach of that era using the tools we have at our disposal.’
Michael Sinclair1/10Off the kitchen is the snug, which is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Picture Gallery Red’. The vintage Karaja rug was bought at auction. Caravane's ‘Princess’ sofa and a bespoke ottoman are upholstered in Yarn Collective's recycled linen, whose earthy tone sits in harmony with the walls.
Michael Sinclair2/10In the upstairs sitting room, the Study for a Leaving artwork by Lubaina Himid presides over an ‘Arundel’ sofa from Soho Home and a bespoke ottoman in ‘Levino’ by Sahco from Kvadrat. Walls in Farrow & Ball's ‘Setting Plaster’ make for an airy backdrop.
Michael Sinclair3/10In the main bedroom, a textured ‘Sansho’ paper pendant sets off the vintage Larusi bed linen and throw.
Michael Sinclair4/10A vintage rug anchors the en-suite bathroom on the top floor.
Michael Sinclair5/10Patagonia quartzite makes for a striking bath surround in the guest bathroom, whose charcoal-coloured tongue and groove panelling adds a masculine feel to the space.
Michael Sinclair6/10Sophie Gordon covered the west-facing fence with the evergreen climber star jasmine, underplanted with pillows of delicate Mexican fleabane and Geranium ‘Rozanne’.
Michael Sinclair7/10The natural pool by Gartenart Swimming Ponds is accessed from the main garden via a brick archway (below).
Michael Sinclair8/10
Michael Sinclair9/10Nathaniel Mosley and Henry Thorold.
Michael Sinclair10/10The newly-refurbished basement is reinforced with external corten-steel beams, the reddish colour of which is mirrored in large, bespoke planters on the terrace.
