Dealing with a city’s existing fabric is an intrinsic part of the urban architect’s daily work and challenges. Groves Natcheva, a dynamic Kensington-based practice, knows this well. The firm has consistently created craft-based, sophisticated residences across the British capital, from mews renovations to new-build townhouses. So when it completed its latest residential offering – the redesign of a 20th-century home in Hampstead – its signature approach of confident, yet very refined design, was unmistakable.
While the original architect’s name was unknown, the team knew the house had a fascinating history, being the home of German actor Conrad Veidt who was forced to emigrate to London in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazism. Dark brick and patterned tiles, as well as the house’s fairly formal presence (with its rectangular forms being set back from the residential street), create a subtle art deco feel throughout.
The current client, a property development company, approached Adriana Natcheva and Murrey Groves in 2011 with the task to redesign the building to feel more open and also increase in size. The architects also needed to reconfigure the layout to suit 21st-century living.
Take an interactive tour of Hampstead House
The architects embraced the building’s inherent character. ‘We chose to engage with the existing building with a lightness of touch always, choosing to tell the story of the refurbishment within the fabric of the building. Great care was taken at the intersections between old and new,’ they say. Colours and materials were chosen to blend seamlessly with both parts of the house resulting in a consistent, well-balanced composition that hovers between Nordic simplicity and craft-based minimalism.
Of course there were also changes to be made. ‘Our client showed a desire for a greater connection to the garden and there was a need to bring the house up to modern standards of heating and insulation’, recall the architects. They also gave the building a new roof (clad in bronze and tile), new brickwork at places and new windows, which ‘sharpened the edges of the house’, they add.
The result? A thoroughly refreshed home, rich in detail and history and effortlessly mixing old and new.
The architects embraced the property’s character, while bringing it sublty into the 21st century.
The redesign opens up the space, rationalising the layout to fit the client’s lifestyle.
The brief also called for ‘a greater connection to the garden, and there was a need to bring the house up to modern standards of heating and insulation’, explain the architects.
The team used a light touch, working with soft, light-coloured timber and taking extra care at the intersections of old and new.
New roofs, clad in bronze and tile, brickwork and windows, sharpen the edges of the house, say the architects.
Special attention was paid to detailing, resulting in an overall high construction and design quality.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Groves Natcheva
-
Jaguar spotlights five emerging artists in its inaugural Arts AwardsThe new Jaguar Arts Awards in partnership with London’s Royal College of Art embody a shared drive to nurture new talent; meet the 2025 winners
-
‘Locally anchored and globally conversant’: Salone del Mobile debuts in Saudi ArabiaSalone del Mobile lands in Riyadh (26-28 November 2025), bringing its creative and manufacturing know-how to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets and setting the stage for Italo-Saudi design relations
-
Free flights across Japan? ANA just made it happenA new All Nippon Airways scheme in collaboration with the Japan National Tourism Organization aims to ease overtourism in major hubs by boosting regional travel
-
Find solace in the forest at this expansive treehouse retreat in DorsetFor sale for the first time, a treehouse, Mallinson’s Woodland Retreat, is a tribute to the skill of designer and master craftsman Guy Mallinson
-
Modernist Scotland explores the country’s impressive legacy of contemporary architectureA new book, Modernist Scotland, delves into the art and ambitions of the International Style in post-war Scotland, presenting 150 projects that typify an age of optimism and innovation.
-
100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
-
Take a tour of Retrofit House, the live showcase inspiring sustainable homebuildingRetrofit House, a showcase for residential redesign using biomaterials and environmentally smart methods, opens in Birmingham, UK, spearheaded by Civic Square, Dark Matter Labs and Material Cultures; we paid it a visit
-
How Maggie’s is redefining cancer care through gardens designed for healing, soothing and liberatingCancer support charity Maggie’s has worked with some of garden design’s most celebrated figures; as it turns 30 next year, advancing upon its goal of ‘30 centres by 30’, we look at the integral role Maggie’s gardens play in nurturing and supporting its users
-
Futuristic-feeling Southwark Tube Station has been granted Grade II-listed statusCelebrated as an iconic piece of late 20th-century design, the station has been added to England’s National Heritage List
-
Archiboo Awards 2025 revealed, including prizes for architecture activism and use of AIArchiboo Awards 2025 are announced, highlighting Narrative Practice as winners of the Activism in architecture category this year, among several other accolades
-
Backstage at the Old Vic is all about light, theatre and sustainable actionThe theatre's new creative hub by Haworth Tompkins has completed, bringing a distinctly contemporary and colourful addition to the popular theatre space in South London
