SOBREMESA HOUSE STUDIO MCW
Studio McW has completed the comprehensive renovation and extension of a terraced house in South West London, resulting in a refined home primed for hosting
The Victorian property, owned by founders of bespoke luxury catering business Opus 11 – Charlie and Joshua Karlsen – offers a composed and serene setting for effortless hospitality.
The clients asked Studio McW to expand the ground floor to form a contemporary kitchen and dining space, and add a new level to the home by converting the loft into a guest bedroom with an ensuite.
Working closely with their clients, Studio McW has delivered an open-plan forever home that reflects Charlie and Joshua’ s love for entertaining and can be adapted as their family grows. The couple host monthly Friday night dinners for clients, collaborators and colleagues, an opportunity for their guests to‘ revel in what they do’. The renewed layout is flexible, allowing for a natural flow between spaces and soft ambience for social gatherings, no matter the occasion.
To realise the true potential of the home Studio McW stripped
the split-level property, which had previously been divided into three bedsit flats, back to its shell. The building structure was in varying states of condition, resulting in Studio McW rebuilding the precarious brick outrigger and re-using the masonry to create more thermally comfortable and efficient spaces with new insulation and replacement sash windows. The entire front exterior walls were insulated internally, to maintain the street facing external Victorian detailing.
Trusting in the architects’ design vision, Charlie and Joshua welcomed the opportunity to take an experimental and playful approach to the renovation. Studio McW’ s design thoughtfully incorporates a series of deliberate thresholds, creating distinct zones within the open plan home. Soft, linear curves and elegant arches weave through the interior, adding visual interest and a moment of surprise on every floor.
Studio McW added a side extension to allow the clients and their guests to enjoy the full width of the property; it is importantly proportioned to accommodate a twelve-seater dining table and banquette seating, maximising hosting potential. A modest 1 metre rear extension completes the ground floor plan, bringing swathes of natural light into the kitchen through striking 2.4 metre tall glazed doors and a romantic curved skylight, leading on to the newly hardscaped rear garden.
The side extension is bookended by an internal courtyard garden in the centre of the home, and a vast picture window overlooking new hardscaped planting to the rear, allowing natural light into the centre of the plan and crossventilation. This intimate dining area is lit by overhead glazing set with oak joists to softly diffuse light through the space and maintain privacy from neighbouring windows.
38- REFURB & RESTORE