Inside the Unique Restoration of a Georgian Family Home

The unique restoration of this listed Georgian family home in London showcases the very best of traditional craftsmanship and materials – the goal was a functional yet timeless forever family home, inspired by the beauty of the original building itself.

The owners of this exquisite townhouse, a professional couple with three children, are deeply attached to their home.

They especially love the ‘retreat-like’ feeling of its location on a private garden square.

Yet the passing centuries had not treated the building well. Natural decay, unsympathetic additions and poor materials added up to a need for renovation.

Rather than ‘modernise’, however, the owners chose to ‘lean in’ to the building’s history and character.

Under the guidance of specialist architect Robert Rhodes, the owners removed newer additions, repaired the buildings and made changes using traditional materials, such as marble and oak.

Craftspeople used time-honoured woodworking skills their Georgian predecessors would have recognised.

Every new element now feels as though it has always belonged. Even essential modern additions, such as plumbing and electrics, are hidden behind new joinery that blends in seamlessly.

The result is both elegant and durable, making it perhaps surprisingly robust. Ideal for life with young children!

Starting with the basics

The first stages of this meticulous and unique restoration project involved repairing areas of damp and stripping back decades of vinyl paint to reveal original plasterwork.

The owners then painted the exterior, using breathable paint and restored a decorative balcony and railings.

The dormer windows on the roof are now also realigned, which means this home ‘harmonises’ with the neighbouring properties.

Inside, the same gentle approach meant a team of skilled craftspeople protected and restored the original joinery, fireplaces and cornices.

All the period details have been reinstated with extraordinary precision. Of course, no 200-year-old building is entirely suitable for 21st-century life.

Yet essential plumbing upgrades and AV etc., are now discreetly concealed behind bespoke joinery and wall panels.

This ensured that no modern services required cutting into the original building itself.

Layout Changes

Carefully considered layout changes enhance the home’s ‘flow’ without disturbing the building’s original rhythm.

Alterations over the centuries were unsympathetic, so the owners prioritised returning the rooms to their original shapes.

They also moved a family bathroom that was glaringly out of place on the first floor.

This went upwards, to join the bedrooms. Instead, this floor is now the heart of the home, with a generous family living space.

On this first floor, the family area adjoins a study, shared by both parents.

This modern essential, a work-from-home space, occupies the space of the former bathroom.

The removal of tiles and fittings meant that the original floor level could be reinstated, creating more cohesion across this entire level.

The top floor of this unique restoration is the dream domain of the children, where a top-lit bathroom is finished in modern terrazzo.

Here, the couple also decided to reinstate interior walls in their original places, and the new joinery needed mirrors that of the rest of the house.

A master-suite sanctuary

The floor between is a master suite that is not just eye-wateringly beautiful, but which boasts a ‘spa-like’ experience in the master bathroom that would have baffled the original Georgian inhabitants.

The installation of a Crittal-style shower enclosure and Carrara marble finishes did not, of course, involve any damage to the building.

It was laid first in a digital mock-up to ensure the veining is natural and continuous before installation.

The marble the owners chose also echoes that found in the existing fireplace surrounds and hearth slabs – it is used throughout the refurbished areas of the home, cleverly threading together old and new.

The owners wanted to use this approach in the kitchen, too.

When they ripped out an ugly stainless-steel kitchen, they discovered an historic fireplace.

Architect Rhodes celebrated this by organising the new kitchen around it, designing painted, panelled units that match the existing detailing elsewhere.

This is the same approach throughout the home, found in window surrounds, storage and utility spaces.

As this detailing is the only real ornamentation in the house, the architect researched Georgian carpentry, so that additions are the same design, material and proportion of the original.

This was installed by craftspeople using traditional woodworking skills.

A modern twist

Only on the lower (basement) floor does the modern world take the upper hand in this unique restoration.

A new small extension contains a study, playroom and guest bedroom suite.

It’s a cosy TV den, which opens onto the new garden through custom-fabricated steel doors.

They may be modern in design, but the authenticity and quality of the materials do not depart from the original quality of the house.

The garden, although small, thanks to its fairly central location, is now also beautiful.

Once little more than a yard, a tactile design by GRDN complements the simplicity of the house and focuses on creating an evergreen oasis.

Trees screen neighbouring homes, creating privacy, while the remaining layers are low-maintenance, perfect for a busy family.

The interior finishes

Inside, the décor is perhaps a little more restrained than the Georgians may have preferred.

The colour palette, developed by Robert London Design, is attuned not just to sympathetic heritage colours, but also to the owners’ preferences.

Gentle, neutral colours don’t overpower the natural light flooding in through tall Georgian windows.

The owners wanted to reuse some of their existing furniture and artwork, so the scheme reflects this.

The colour palette, window treatments and new furniture are largely contemporary in style, but a high-quality and restrained approach to design means the owners have managed that most sought-after outcome: a natural synergy between Georgian architecture and modern interiors – styles that, when focused on quality and restraint, can converse and flatter as well as any Georgian hostess.

Now a happy family home, this unique restoration of an historically important, listed home is a masterclass.

The research done by Rhodes and the skilled work it underpinned has moved the bar for restorations of this nature.

The commitment and the vision of the owners cannot be understated, either.

The success of this project doesn’t just demonstrate what can be achieved when all the right elements come together; it has rescued and even enhanced an important part of our architectural heritage.