Belsize Park

This project entailed a major refurbishment and reconfiguration of a Grade II listed early Victorian villa in Camden’s Eton Conservation Area. Because we were creating a new connection between the ground floor and lower ground floor, we were able to introduce a staircase which, although sympathetic to the period of the building, was not quite as cramped as a traditional staircase to the lower ground floor would originally have been. This worked well with the uses of the different floors, as the lower ground floor became the primary living and family floor with a much enhanced connection to the garden through a new orangery structure.

As part of the refurbishment, much of the original character of the building was restored. This included the reinstatement of the balconies to the upper ground floor and the replacement of the double doors onto them with the original pattern of large sash windows. An ugly staircase from upper ground floor to the garden was removed as the new configuration of the building included glazed double doors giving onto the garden Terrace from the lower ground floor.