GARDEN LEVEL :
The more contemporary aspect to the house is announced by going down the stairs from the main entrance to the garden level . The thin , sculptural stair is cast in concrete and clad in stone and the lightbox at the top of this stair indicates the beginning of this more contemporary treatment .
The first level down is the garden level , where the main family living areas are located in an open space created according to ‘ lateral living ’ principles . The space is comprised of the main Bulthaup kitchen ( supplied by Kitchen Architecture ), with units created in walnut with an aluminium finish , along with a stainless steel island and a hidden dumb waiter system set behind the Bulthaup units , which links to the formal reception room on the upper ground floor . Immediately beyond the kitchen area is a breakfast table and chairs and then , within the extended glass box section of the rear elevation , an informal family seating and television area with sofas , tables , lamps and easy chairs . Italian limestone flooring leads outside through the bi-folding doors to connect to the barbeque terrace .
A further guest bedroom and en suite toilet are also on this floor at the front of the house , as well as , set within the side extension , a staff kitchenette , bedroom and en suite bathroom . These all have their own dedicated entry , so that the live-in caretakers are free to come and go , but also have a good view at all times of the front of the property to look out for the arrival of guests or family members .
LOWER GROUND LEVEL : bar is set a few steps down to be at a good serving height for the pool deck and terrace area and is made up of Corian shelving and bar top , with a TV screen also set between the shelves .
The pool can also be accessed directly from a sunken courtyard area at the rear of the house ( surrounded with a glass balustrade ), with cantilevered white concrete steps leading down from the garden level and a stainless steel handrail and planting set into a bed beneath . Across the courtyard , via sliding glass doors , the pool area is easily accessed , with the courtyard also ensuring that plenty of natural light gets into the lower storeys .
Alongside the pool sits a glass box gym area , with Bolon flooring and a rear wall in oiled cedar slats . A stand-out corridor links this area to the sauna , steam room and changing rooms , bordered by a fretwork wall , which was chosen for the shadows it creates from the natural light coming into the corridor and which is made up of fire-rated glass screens with fretwork panels in front of them .
The sauna room has a hemlock and cedar finish , whilst the steam room is a deliberately dark and moody area , clad in a light grey to charcoal mosaic tile and lit by a single light to catch the steam . The two changing rooms alongside are identical , with bevelled navarro limestone on one wall , which runs on into the showers plus a big , ceramic basin which sits on a teak bench . The plant for the pool area is hidden from sight in three locations : behind the cedar wall of the gym in a boxed-off area ; in a dedicated undercroft which also links to the gym and also behind a hidden door at the front of the house .
EDITORS CHOICE
Going down the stairs one more level leads to the final storey and the home ’ s exceptional leisure area . This begins in the stair lobby section , with a feature walnut spine wall at the base of the stair and a wine display unit in walnut opposite , bespoke-designed by SHH ’ s Guy Matheson in a diamond-shaped grid , with triangular slots for individual bottles and larger storage spaces below for cases of wine . The unit is set behind bronze-mirror-clad glass doors , with the back of the unit formed of a single LED panel and with controls protecting the wine ’ s storage temperature level at all times . The flooring , in large ( 900 x 600 mm ) slabs of grey basalt , is instantly cool , understated and contemporary and continues throughout this floor ( with the exception of the cinema and playroom spaces ).
The stair lobby leads to a large utility room for laundry , but more importantly to the spectacular pool area , which features a 14m x 4.5m pool , one of the largest in this area of London , featuring a swim jet ( creating a water pressure stream for static swimming ); an automated retractable cover and an integrated bar area and jacuzzi to the left-hand-side . The right-hand end wall is covered in bronze mirrored glass , whilst the other two walls are in a textured , linear porcelain tile , with a slight sparkle in its surface , which have been cut and laid in a random , linear fashion . A skylight along the longest wall of the pool creates spectacularly natural lighting effects on the water . The pool floor is in a blue glass mosaic in a blended gradient of shading , with the same flooring used for the jacuzzi , which has basalt tiled sides . The
Also on this floor are two further stand-out rooms . First , the ‘ playroom ’, which borders onto the sunken courtyard with an outer glass wall . The room also features a side wall with fretwork panels , whilst the wall opposite has a bespoke joinery wall in shades of white and grey , replicating modules of the pool ’ s tile wall . Inset into this wall are a fireplace and a chimney breast in a dramatic red leather covering ( by Dentro ), plus an inset television screen . A coffee or games table is flanked by three generous sofas in pale grey with a grey and white graphic pattern rug . The lighting system for the room is track-based for unlimited flexibility and there is plenty of hidden storage for games and toys , as well as a hidden door leading to a toilet .
Secondly , the cinema and media room , which has iPadbased Savant controls for lighting and music ( which can also be used for all other rooms in the house ) and an almost-invisible projector , set into the air conditioning grille accessed from the room behind , so that only the lens is visible . The room is deliberately dark and cocoon-like , with five deep armchairs ; a stepped black felt ceiling ( with inset ceiling lights ) to seal the room acoustically and sculptural 3D felt walls by Anne Kyrro-Quinn , plus floor lights set into the skirting . Further lighting is from one feature standard lamp . A kitchen area at the rear allows for the preparation of drinks and snacks .
Photography credit : Alastair Lever and Gareth Gardner
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