T
hehousewasvery
intriguing,’says
StudioIndigo’s
MikeFisherof
theseven-storeytownhousein
Kensingtonthatthecompanywere
askedtorenovatefiveyearsago.‘I
wasfamiliarwiththepropertyasI
hadlivedoppositeit formanyyears.
Thepreviousownershadbegun
renovatingit buta changein
circumstancesmeanttheyhadto
putit onthemarketunfinished.
Ourclient,whohasfourchildren,
purchasedthehousewitha viewto
creatinga moresubstantialfamily
homeandwewereaskedwhatwe
thoughtwecoulddotoit.Aswehad
already worked on several propertiesinthelocalarea,weknewexactly
whatimprovementstomake.’
ThemainchallengethatMikeand
interiordesignerFleurLiversidge
facedwasthepositioningofthe
principalrooms– whetherthey
shouldbeatthefrontofthehouse,
whichfacesnorthorattherear.In
theend,theydecidedtoorientatethe
mainroomstothebeautifulstreetat
thefront.‘Whatis lovelyaboutthe
propertyis thatyoucanstandinthe
centreofthehouseandlooktothe
streetatthefrontoryoucanlook
throughtothegarden.Lightcomes in
fromfronttoback,’saysMike.
Asthehouseis sevenstoreyshigh,
theinstallationofa liftwasessential,
in addition to the staircase. However,StudioIndigo’splanwastomake
thestaircasea centralfeature.The
originalVictoriandesignwasthe
inspirationbutit wasmadegrander,
moreelegantandlesssteep.Other
majorstructuralworkincludedthe
buildingofa doublebasementto
housea swimmingpoolanda gym.
ForMike,theprojectwasaboutthe
journeyhisteamwentonwiththe
owners.‘I lovehowsophisticated
theirtastebecame,’hesays.‘They
developeda passionandinterestin
contemporaryartandfurniture,and
hada desiretoseekouttheunusual,
fascinatingandcuttingedge.’
MikeandFleurwantedtomake
theinteriorinterestinganddistinct,
incorporating colours froman→KITCHEN
Wood,stoneandglass
arecombinedhere
inwarminghues.
FiguredSycamoreVeneer
cabinets,bespokedesign
byStudioIndigo;madeby
MVS.IslandinFantasy
BrowngranitebyM G LW.
Light,Bocci.Monsanto
floor, Trajan Natural Stone.inspiration