Ramses Frederickx

Design & Interior

Kensington Penthouse

In 2011 the practise was appointed to refurbish a substantial penthouse apartment for a young family within a Kensington Conservation area. In close collaboration with the owner we established a vision for an extensive refurbishment which incorporated the clients furniture collection and diverse range of ideas. The result is a warm and comfortable home with some strong contemporary features as well as hints to the past within the setting of this Georgian property.

The sensitivity of the site and the local authority’s restrictive attitude towards new architecture conflicted with the clients ambition to improve the buildings upper floor, making the planning application for this Grade II listed building a complicated negotiation process. The scheme involved raising the entire roof up to improve the limited ceiling height in the loft, removing a roof section, to create a sheltered terrace. We introduced 3 large roof lights to bring the daylight in, one of which opening out providing access to a roof terrace. The terrace offers a great outdoor space with a panoramic view across this beautiful part of London.

On the lower level, three bedrooms and two bathrooms were substantially modified and renovated. The client interest in vintage furniture and reclaimed elements resulted in a fun and lively palette of character-full materials including reclaimed oak floorboards, bespoke spanish encaustic tiles, fumed oak parquet, emperador marble and exposed brick.

All services were replaced and an advanced home cinema was integrated into a library. The work started on site in March 2012 and was completed by September that year.