Tour a reconfigured West London mews house by DF_DC
Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon of architecture studio DF_DC extend and reconfigure a 1980s mews house in West London, by working with simple forms and raw materials

Simone Bossi - Photography
Invited by a young family to extend and refresh their new home, architecture studio DF_DC got to work on this redesign of a 1980s mews house in West London in 2017. The residential project appeared small – originally at a mere 68 sq m – but had a lot of potential, and the studio, led by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon and featured in the 2020 Wallpaper* Architects Directory, embraced its challenges.
‘Sitting on the northern side of a cobbled mews, the house had to be extended at ground and loft levels to accommodate for the young family who had bought it after being vacant for some years, without detracting from the visual continuity of the street,' say the two architects. Creating extra space without changing the overall front facade appearance much was a key point to negotiate in the design.
The architects' clever, surgical interventions not only achieved that but also enhanced the spatial experience and quality of living for the owners. Now reaching up to 100 sq m, the house has an extended ground floor living space, which reaches out towards the rear garden – the remaining part of which was paved into a tidy patio. Internal arrangement was adjusted and upstairs rooms were extended into the roof where possible.
RELATED STORY
A common language of materials and colours was developed throughout to create a sense of continuity and visual consistency. Hardwood frames out of European oak were used to create partitions and roof elements, enveloping spaces in warm timber. Meanwhile, this was offset by cooler concrete flooring for the living areas and grey valchromat for the kitchen.
Simple forms, clear surfaces, raw materials with a natural, tactile finish and muted colours create a neutral, sophisticated yet welcoming and full of character interior – one that is also spacious and airy, proving there's more than meets the eye to this modest mews house. ‘It has been a very gratifying experience,' says the team.
INFORMATION
df-dc.co.uk
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).
-
From David Hockney to Tony Blair, a new film takes us inside the Alternative Miss World
Upon creating Alternative Miss World in 1972, Andrew Logan cemented a counter-culture – and rubbed a few people up the wrong way
-
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
-
Inside MAZE Design Basel the city's new design fair
With only 11 exhibitors and the backdrop of a Swiss Gothic Revival church, MAZE Design Basel is a new intimate art fair for those in the know
-
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
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilion
Lego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interior
Abbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century