In collaboration with Marc Merckx, this extensive refurbishment centres on a bespoke sculptural staircase and a pared-back material palette. Meticulous structural interventions and refined detailing invite a soft play of natural light, creating a curated sanctuary for art and modern family life.
Sector
Homes
Location
Notting Hill, London
Date
2016-19
Client
Private
Area
658m2
Status
Completed
Conceptual axonometric drawing
A New Lease of Life: Reimagining the Victorian Villa
Patalab was approached to transform a tired yet majestic early-Victorian villa in the heart of Notting Hill into a contemporary home for a young family. Executed in close collaboration with acclaimed Belgian interior designer Marc Merckx, the extensive works comprised a complete refurbishment and remodelling of the existing structure, alongside substantial basement, rear, and side extensions. Responding directly to the client’s keen interest in art and design, the architectural approach focused on creating a symbiosis between curated content and interior architecture. The resulting home is an exercise in quiet sophistication, establishing a subtle dialogue between the heritage shell and modern interventions-most notably expressed through the poetic juxtaposition of the property’s two staircases.
Structural Innovation and the Expansion of Volume
A key design challenge lay in reconfiguring the property to establish a more intuitive relationship between the living spaces and the surrounding site. By lowering the existing lower-ground slab in tandem with the new basement excavation, we achieved vastly improved ceiling heights and an elevated spatial quality at the heart of the home.
These expansive volumes are now fully embraced by the remodelled garden, connected via panoramic sliding glass doors within the new rear extension. To further accentuate this, the side annex – housing office and dining areas – was designed with a dual-aspect condition intersecting the circulation space. This maintains a strong horizontal connection to both the front and rear gardens, designed in collaboration with Luciano Giubbilei, effectively balancing the inherent verticality of the original villa with a newfound sense of lateral flow.
Main entrance and approach to refurbished existing staircase, glowing with natural light from above
Reception room with pared-back material palette and considered details providing the perfect backdrop for artwork
Bespoke marble fireplace, highlighted with soft, dappled light passing through the front garden
In Praise of Shadows: Tactile Materiality and Meticulous Detail
The project’s atmosphere is anchored by an uncompromising attention to detail and an exquisite, pared-down material palette. Tight tolerances and precise craftsmanship define the interior architecture; traditional skirting boards have been eschewed in favour of narrow shadow gaps to establish a crisp, minimalist aesthetic. Echoing the poetics of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, the interior scheme celebrates the delicate interplay of soft, natural light and deep shadow.
Entrance onto the family bathroom shower and bath area through bespoke, patined bronze-framed doors with reeded glass inserts
Textured stucco, soft, tactile timbers, heavily patinated bronze, and selective installations of beautiful marble combine to create a deeply sensory experience. Together, these rich, muted textures provide a quiet, beautiful backdrop for the client’s carefully curated artwork, bringing a sense of timeless tranquillity and rigorous architectural precision to this Notting Hill home.
Bespoke, patined bronze-framed doors with reeded glass inserts and terrazzo vanity framing the family bathroom
Carrara marble floor and wainscot, demarcated with patinated bronze datum forming a practical separation to the stucco above within this en suite
Variation on a theme, with darker stone and bespoke patinated bronze mirrors to this en suite
Schematic section
Approach through to the new, light-flooded staircase, with subtle shift in geometry demarcating the main house from the side annex
Central view down the new sinuous staircase of tactile stucco and timber
Soft light from above highlighting the sinuous curves of this new, bespoke stucco and timber staircase
The Sculptural Core: A Confluence of Engineering and Light
Central to the home’s revitalised circulation is a striking, sinuous staircase spanning three floors, which drastically improves the link between the basement, lower-ground, and ground levels. This sculptural intervention was developed and fabricated in concert with Weber Industries and structural engineers Price & Myers, utilising a sophisticated blend of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary technology.
The flow of a new, bespoke stucco and timber staircase, forming a crux to living spaces of the lower floors
In praise of shadows; interplay of light and shadow from the skylight above, falling on the new, bespoke staircase
Remaining connected to both front and rear gardens with dual aspect space intersecting the new stairwell
By adopting ship-hull construction methods, the fabricators were able to pre-fabricate the sweeping structure in manageable sections off-site, ensuring not only uncompromising control over accuracy and finish, but also procuring in the most sustainable and efficient way possible. Bathed in natural light from a large, frameless skylight above, the staircase acts as a luminous core, drawing light deep into the lower floors and creating a constant, shifting play of illumination throughout the day.
Floor to ceiling windows maximising natural light and views onto the rear garden, within this heightened lower ground floor
Rear and side annex extensions enveloped by vegetation to the rear garden
Rear garden approach from the living area, flooded with natural light softened through the sheer curtains
Rear elevation of rear and side extensions, featuring floor to ceiling glazing maximising natural light and views onto the verdant rear garden
Pared-back material pallet and minimal detailing, highlighted by the dappled light here in the kitchen
Kensington and Chelsea
Notting Hill Villa is one of many successful projects completed by Patalab in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Other notable projects include Park House, Chelsea Townhouse, Argyll House, and Kensington Gardens Apartment.
