Connaught House is a north London landmark reborn as five boutique homes
In St John's Wood, Connaught House and its long history live on, brought into the 21st century by architects Darling Associates and interiors studio Gunter and Co for owner Marcus Cooper Group and developers Valouran
The site of Connaught House is a storied one. Its corner of north London on St John's Wood Terrace is a stone's throw from Abbey Road Studios, Lord's Cricket Ground and Regent's Park. The building itself was initially a chapel, but then evolved into a squash club for a while, and the studio where Queen filmed Radio Ga Ga. Now, the Grade II-listed structure is entering a new chapter in life, as owner Marcus Cooper Group and developer Valouran reveal a new, boutique family of homes within, featuring architecture by Darling Associates and interiors by Gunter and Co.
Explore Connaught House in London
Connaught House was originally built in 1841, a handsome neoclassical religious structure, featuring intricate Corinthian columns and crisp white stucco. Designed by architect John Tarring, it's been a local landmark and popular community spot for decades. The redesign project has been a painstakingly detailed one, transforming the interior into just five contemporary homes.
The original chapel's striking crowning cupola, which was lost for almost 100 years due to past alterations, was beautifully restored. Meanwhile, handcrafted windows and refined rooflines help bring the building into the 21st century.
The resulting five apartments are all unique, designed using a common language of green and neutral tones, and timber and stone surfaces to create a coherent whole. Gunter and Co's Irene Gunter says:
'Our approach to the interiors was shaped by a pursuit centred on bringing back the chapel's original character- celebrating the arches, the period detailing, and the quality of daylight, and restoring features lost to a series of unsympathetic alterations over the years. We were careful, though, not to simply wind the clock back. It was just as important that the five homes felt luxurious, refined and considered for modern-day living, not a museum piece.
'The overarching approach was to let the architecture dictate the language, room by room, rather than applying one flat design across all five homes. The apartments with the arched windows at the front of the building lean into a more classical style, in keeping with the chapel's original proportions and detailing. To the rear, where the building is more contemporary, the interiors shift into a more modern design language,' she continues.
'What ties the apartments together is a shared material palette - sympathetic wood tones, neutral paint colours, and consistent ironmongery and tapware carried through both the classical and contemporary spaces. That common thread is what gives the collection cohesion, even as each apartment's character shifts depending on where it sits in the building.'
Soft furnishings, curated artwork and the building sense of space and generosity – through tall ceilings and large windows that open up to the surrounding green spaces – complement perfectly the design studio's craft-led approach.
Says Gunter: 'Every supplier and maker was chosen through the same lens as everything else on this project – quality, craft and longevity. We leaned heavily on a team of suppliers we've tested and trusted over years of projects, with a strong focus on UK makers. Around 80 per cent of what you'll find across the homes is UK-made. This is a proudly British project, and investing in that craftsmanship felt like the right way to honour it. We also wanted this to be a chance to shine a light on new artisans we've discovered along the way. In each of the apartments, you'll find beautiful bespoke pieces created by makers we've met at craft fairs, and others discovered along the way and beyond.'
