Box fresh: a clever refurbishment makes for a crisp London townhouse

Business finance specialist Lawrence Salem and project manager Gabriel Chipperfield had been looking for while for the perfect project to kick-start their joint property venture, when they came across a Grade II listed house in West London's Eccleston Street.
'It was a mess when we found it,' recalls Chipperfield. 'So the project was primarily about straightening everything out, restoring the original 1850s Georgian building, whilst adding several modern extensions to the top, bottom, and back of the house.' The pair developed and designed the majestic old house together, 'under the watchful eye' of the latter's father, celebrated London based architect David Chipperfield.
Once planning permission was granted, the team focused on opening up the space, completely rebuilding the house with a new basement, rear façade and 'a new steelwork to frame everything and support the new top floor and those marble bathtubs'.
The redesigned house's contemporary style and expertly finished interior proves that the apple never falls far from the tree, in terms of both creative flair and attention to detail. The sophisticated, clean white interiors, combining luxurious Carrara marble, restored original timber flooring and Pietra Serena limestone in the new built areas, feel modern yet warm and intimate. Leather elements designed into the joinery help to that end, as did the extensive customised ironmongery and joinery applied for the high spec fittings. Lighting was provided by the Milan based company Viabizzuno.
The generous property spans 3,900 sq ft and six levels that include four bedrooms – the top floor one can be transformed into a gym or library – a reception room, cinema, garden room and terrace. An 800 sq ft kitchen and dining area sits in the extension's lower level, amply lit by a pair of lightwells that cut through the new part, allowing the light to travel deep into the basement. In fact, it is as much the crisp interior as these views through different levels, skylights and select double height spaces that help give the historical house its particularly airy feel.
With Eccleston Street complete and awaiting its new owner, the team is now focusing on its next steps. 'This is the first in a series of projects that we are doing,' says Chipperfield. 'We're honing our skills at the moment. We still need our big idea but there are a lot of basic things to get good at; we do our own contracting, which helps save the most time and money without compromising on quality – but it's obviously a lot more work. As soon as we become fluent we'll try and up the ante. I would like to do a small hotel but I haven't told Lawrence yet.'
See more of Eccleston Street House in the Wallpaper* March 2016 issue (W*204)
The generous property spans 3,900 sq ft and six levels, that include four bedrooms, a reception room, cinema, garden room and terrace, as well as an 800 sq ft kitchen and dining area
Views through different levels, skylights and select double height spaces help give this historical house a particularly airy feel
Its crisp interiors feature luxurious Carrara marble, restored original timber flooring and Pietra Serena limestone
INFORMATION
Photography: Simon Menges
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Wallpaper* checks into Gansevoort Meatpacking, an art-filled hotel that mirrors the district’s glow-up
This sharp, stylish New York hotel is a fixture in its neighbourhood, where boutiques, restaurants and clubs have long since taken over spaces once occupied by slaughterhouses
-
Glenn Martens’ thrilling Maison Margiela debut was a balancing act between past, present and future
The Belgian designer made his debut for the house last night with a collection that looked towards medieval decoration for a new expression of opulence
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the future
Norman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it