Less is best at Mike Spink’s minimalist London home
Mike Spink and his team of architects are behind this refined contemporary house in London, as featured in the pages of the Wallpaper* September 2019 issue (W*246) – on newsstands now

Few practices explore architecture with the holistic approach and fervent passion of Spink. The British company weaves together refined, contemporary design with the time-honed expertise of a master builder under the leadership of Mike Spink; and Little Gem, a single-family home in West London’s Kensington, is the studio’s latest offering.
‘It is minimal in design, generous in scale’, says Spink, explaining that this project is all about ‘subtle materials, thoughtful design and precision of execution’. The two bedroom home may appear bijoux at a fairly compact 191 sq m, but a philosophy of ‘less is more’ was strongly embedded in its concept right from the start.
Little Gem was the location of Wallpaper* September issue (W*246) interior design and fashion shoot
Spanning three levels, with private areas on the bright lower ground floor and social spaces above, the interior flows, connected through a central, white, sculptural staircase. Its centrepiece though, is the extra-generous oak-panelled master bedroom suite, which includes a Japanese style courtyard, walk-in wardrobe and Carrara marble bathroom area of a size typically found in dwellings several times larger than this one.
Large openings direct the eye out towards the rear garden, created by landscape specialist Christopher Bradley-Hole. Lead architect and designer Franz Borho – a former director at David Chipperfield – ensured everything exudes understated luxury and simplicity, while the interiors include bespoke furniture from the company’s ‘By Spink’ branch.
INFORMATION
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).
-
Dine within a rationalist design gem at the newly opened Cucina Triennale
Cucina Triennale is the latest space to open at Triennale Milano, a restaurant and a café by Luca Cipelletti and Unifor, inspired by the building's 1930s design
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
Meet artist Michael McGregor, using hotel stationery as his canvas
Michael McGregor unveils an exclusive postcard set made with notepads from The Luxury Collection properties in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Savannah
-
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
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend