Menu

Pavilion House

Minimalist glass and steel house on a historic site in Kensington & Chelsea

This interesting site was originally a stables which had been converted to a residential property using the semi buried stable and a small and dated single storey house above ground. This is located immediately to one side of a Grade II listed Mews with a protected arch which is connected to the side wall of the stables/house. In our proposals this side wall is retained however the rest of the structure is demolished and replaced with an extensive semi-subterranean home and culminating in an elegant pavilion structure at ground level to create a unique contemporary family home that sits comfortably in the unique and sensitive heritage environment of Holland Park.

We worked closely with the Planning Officer due to the sensitive location to agree a delicate insertion to compliment the garden nature of the site. In essence we focused on the principle of creating a ‘pavilion in a garden’. The development lent itself to an upside-down house model of living with access and views over the garden for first floor living spaces and bedroom accommodation on the ground floor level with courtyard lightwells to maximise daylight.

A new basement level was also added to create a new swimming pool suite below the property. Walk on rooflights set into the lightwells at lower ground floor allow light to penetrate down into this space.

The material palette is intentionally restrained taking the local historic masonry as the base material and adding to it with dark hardwoods and minimally framed glazed elements.