Private house in Kensington

This private house in Kensington is located off Brompton Road in the Brompton Square Conservation Area. The house overlooks a series of listed buildings including the Brompton Oratory and Holy Trinity Church. It occupies the site of a Victorian house with a single-storey annex and garage.

The brief called for a luxury residence with quality finishes and high-end services, generous living spaces, guest and service quarters, a study, garage, entertainment suite and a private spa including a swimming pool. This extensive programme resulted in a significant volumetric increase, creating challenges with regard to rights of light and overlooking. The development contains five storeys: three above ground and two below. The house addresses both the street and park with a symmetrical façade of handmade bricks. A double loggia featuring round brick columns, a travertine floor and a cast bronze balustrade creates an outdoor space while screening the living spaces from the road.

The house offers views of the churches to the front and a private walled garden to the rear. There are two circulation routes through the house. A main entrance sequence leads from the covered porch into the ground-floor entrance hall, continuing up a wide stair to the piano nobile, which contains the main living areas. The secondary circulation features an additional stair and a lift that give access to all floors. The master suite with bedroom, sitting room and bathroom occupies the entire top floor while the piano nobile, contains the main living areas. The ground floor contains the entrance hall, garage, study and a guest room. Three further en-suite guest bedrooms and staff accommodation are on the lower ground floor, with access to the walled garden behind the house. A grand formal dining room, with a butler’s kitchen and wine closet, a spa area with pool and sauna, and a cinema room occupy the basement.

The building’s structure is made of in-situ concrete with a brick skin, with precast concrete soffits and sills. The visible concrete matches the bricks’ colour with an exposed aggregate finish. All exterior doors and windows are made of bronze. The main materials inside include travertine, oak doors and fittings, and polished plaster walls.