From the street, this Victorian terraced house in Kensington gives little away. Built in 1851 and set within the Abingdon Conservation Area, its external appearance remains largely intact. But step inside and it becomes clear that this home has been completely rethought for modern life, light, and art.
Redeveloped by FLOW Architecture together with MAGRITS (Maria Grazia Savito Architects), the house has been transformed into a generous four story home with the addition of a basement and a dramatic double height rear extension. Planning restrictions meant the architects had to preserve the facade, so the real architectural statement was pushed inward, concentrating design moves at the core of the house.
The moment you enter, the shift from traditional Victorian layout to something far more fluid is immediate. The sitting room sets the tone with white open bookshelves lining the walls and a comfortable armchair paired with a footstool. It feels calm and welcoming, yet deliberately restrained, allowing light and space to do most of the talking.
From here, the sitting room opens into another lounge area where a couch is positioned to take in views of both the garden and the lower level of the house. This visual connection between floors is a recurring theme, and one that challenges the original vertically stacked Victorian plan.
Threading through the home is a sculptural staircase, with wood stairs spiraling their way between levels. Rather than being tucked away, the staircase opens fully toward the lower floors, distributing access to the various family spaces while becoming a central architectural feature in its own right.
Above, wood slat detailing draws the eye upward toward a single skylight. This vertical light well acts as the heart of the home, pulling daylight deep into areas that would once have been among the darkest parts of the house. The effect changes throughout the day, with sunlight casting shifting tones across the white washed walls.
At the core of the home, the main social spaces unfold as an open plan kitchen, dining room, and living area. In the kitchen, dark upper cabinets, shelving, backsplash, and countertop create a bold contrast against white lower cabinets and walls. The palette is simple but intentional, designed to frame daily life as well as the owners’ growing contemporary art collection.
Opposite the dining table, the living room rises into a double height space anchored by a large woven textile artwork. The scale of the room, combined with the openness above, reinforces the sense that this house is no longer bound by its original proportions.
Both the dining room and living room open directly onto a rear patio. A built in seat lines the edge, while a window set into the ground allows light to spill down into the interior spaces below. At the top of the stairs, a gently curving path leads through the garden, which was treated with greater freedom as a green folly that extends the indoor aesthetic outdoors.
From the garden, the transformation becomes fully visible. Large windows reveal the dining room and sitting room above, giving a glimpse of the layered interior and the way spaces visually overlap rather than remaining separate.
Back inside, a quieter moment appears in a room defined by custom built minimalist white cabinetry. These clean surfaces frame a sculptural, curved shelving feature lined in wood, softening the geometry and reinforcing the home’s balance between precision and warmth.
The basement continues this approach with flush custom storage integrated seamlessly into the walls. Lighting runs along the ceiling, while a wood surround frames the television, adding texture without cluttering the space.
On the upper levels, the bedrooms maintain the same calm, light driven design language. One bedroom showcases the wood slat detailing once again, lining the light well that rises all the way to the skylight above, reinforcing the vertical connection that defines the entire house.
In one of the bathrooms, the design takes a more dramatic turn. Grey walls are reflected in a full wall mirror, amplifying the sense of space. The faucet descends straight from the ceiling, an unexpected and striking gesture that feels both sculptural and precise.
By turning planning constraints into creative opportunities, the architects reimagined Victorian living from the inside out. The result is a home that feels open and sculptural, without altering the historic shell.
Photography ©NAARO | Architect: FLOW Architecture with Magrits – Project team: Vincent Nowak, Annarita Papeschi (FLOW Architecture), Maria Grazia Savito (Magrits) | Contractor Shell & Core: London Basement | Contractor Fit-out: Michael Brady | Structure: StructureMode | MEP: SGA Consulting | Quantity Surveyor: BTP Group | Lighting Design: Mindseye | AV Consultant: Openfield Technology | Planning Consultant: ADL Planning
