Jonathan Tuckey transforms London mews house into private art gallery
Jonathan Tuckey Design has transformed a mews house in London's Paddington into a striking, private art space with a spiralling vertical gallery that nods to the Pantheon

James Brittain - Photography
This radical reworking of the traditional London mews house transforms the interior into a spiralling vertical gallery. Created by Jonathan Tuckey Design, the ‘Paddington Pantheon’ is tightly nestled into its urban context. These low-lying back streets originally provided service spaces to the adjacent terraced mansions but have gradually risen up through the residential rankings to become prime spots in their own right.
This particular house is owned by the artists Rob and Nick Carter, a couple whose shared artistic journey takes in photography, sculpture, installation and carefully manipulated animations. The brief was to provide private exhibition spaces and open up the interior, adding plenty of flexibility for curating as well as living. Tuckey draws a parallel between earlier, historical ‘houses for artists,’ especially in the ways in which life and work become intertwined in a physical space.
The Paddington project places a greater emphasis on display, rather than practice, and Tuckey references the early wunderkammer, or cabinet or chamber of curiosity created by aesthetes and intellectuals from the seventeenth century onwards. Comprising of an eclectic mix of art, anthropological specimens, and historical ephemera, the wunkerkammer concept remains an intriguing symbol of diverse interests and approaches.
RELATED STORY
The Carters’ project also makes a nod to the Greco-Roman forerunner of the modern picture gallery, the Pinacotheca, as well as the mighty Pantheon in Rome, with its dome punctured by a single circular oculus. As the project’s name suggests, a skylight is also a key focus, and the angles and facets of the original roof have been subsumed by meticulously rendered angled white walls that are topped by a vast piece of angled frameless glass.
From the start of the process, the ambition was to create a building that was best suited to view Rob and Nick Carter’s work, with backlit and screen-based works on display on the lower levels and photographic prints on the upper level. A staircase winds up the newly created double height space, emphasising the scale.
While the structural interventions are dramatic, the material palette is low key, with existing wooden and stone floors retained and simple white painted walls used throughout. Appearing modest and unassuming from the cobbled mews, this contemporary cabinet of wonders must be opened to be experienced.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
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
-
A nature-inspired Chinese art centre cuts a crisp figure in a Guiyang park
A new Chinese art centre by Atelier Xi in the country's Guizhou Province is designed to bring together nature, art and community
-
William Kentridge's fluid sculptures are a vivid addition to the Yorkshire landscape
William Kentridge has opened the first major exhibition to focus on his sculptures outside of South Africa at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
-
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