homify 360º: South Brompton Apartments, London

Caitlin Hughes Caitlin Hughes
South Brompton Apartments, London, PAD ARCHITECTS PAD ARCHITECTS Minimalist dining room
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Today we're taking a look at a refurbished apartment in Barkston Gardens, London, which was in need of a makeover to bring it up to date. It has been cleverly reorganised to make the most of the internal space, and now boasts a well thought through, open-plan layout, suitable for a busy and sociable family. Thanks to PAD Architects, the interior has been extended to encompass additional en suite bathrooms, but the property has retained its charming original features including high ceilings, large bay windows, and cornice detailing. During the renovations, a beautiful cast iron fire place, which had been forgotten about and hidden behind years and years of paint, was rediscovered. The careful restoration of this feature occurred alongside extensive modernisation work, which included laying down a selection of hardwood parquet floors throughout, and decorating the apartment with a tasteful neutral colour palette. Without further ado, let's take a proper look at the finished result.

Street-facing exterior

The redbrick exterior of the apartment block has been well maintained, with a flawless finish for an exclusive and up-market look. The gold plaque at the entrance exudes class and, in combination with the freshly painted front arch and cast iron gate creating a barrier from the street, indicates the quality of the interiors that wait for us inside. 

View from below

Here we have a view of the apartments from below. Each floor has a street-facing balcony, painted in glossy black just like the front gate, which also offers some privacy to the basement apartment. 

The dining area

The interior follows a classical design, with spectacular parquet flooring underfoot. The view out over the garden is a pleasant backdrop during meal times, and can be enjoyed from the characterful, traditional windows which look out over a small balcony. The neutral colour scheme suits the demure design, which incorporates only the necessary elements, making a feature of the polished dark timber dining table and matching chairs. Despite a classic look existing at the core of the design, there is a touch of minimalism that ensures the room also has somewhat of a contemporary feel.

The open plan sitting room

The sitting room leads off from the spacious dining area, and though the rooms blend into one as part of an open plan layout, there is some division between them, thanks to the interior wall with modern square archway. To the back of the room you can see the recovered fireplace in all it's former glory: a stunning original feature that, thanks to a real stroke of luck, has become part of the interior once more. 

The distressed leather couches compliment the rustic feel in this room, and match perfectly to the colourful woven rug, which brings some warmth and texture to the monochrome design. 

The bathroom

The contemporary bathroom is a room of contrasts. Dark panelling pervades and gives the room a serious but chic tone. The black and charcoal grey palette is beautifully offset by the use of mirrors and utilisation of natural light. The wall mirror reflects the entire room back on itself, creating the impression of space. The generously sized windows have frosted panels across the lower half for extra privacy, and their placement in the room ensures that plenty of light from outside is reflected off the mirror to illustrious effect. 

The childrens' room

Despite the stark white walls and ceiling with matching white bed (a brave choice for a children's room!), this bedroom is a child-friendly area when you take into account the fun and colourful play mat which dominates the space. Taking pride of place in the centre of the room, the cute and creative rug could well be hand-made—we can imagine the children spend lots of time making up stories to go with all the little pictures! However, the elegant interiors, including another example of fine parquet flooring, will be just as suitable when the kids grow up and want a stylish, rather than 'cute', bedroom. 

The bedroom

Here we can see just how elegant the bedroom can look when decorated for adults! This room appears to be slightly smaller than the childrens' room, but with plenty of clever storage in the form of fitted wardrobes, space certainly isn't an issue. In fact, clean lines and an unfussy design is easily maintained, as all the belongings and clutter is hidden away in the wardrobes. The overall look is sleek and seamless: the entrance to the ensuite is barely noticable, tucked away in the alcove next to the storage area. Ultimately, this room demonstrates the goal of the project: to create a flowing layout that connects elegantly decorated, individual rooms. 

For a similar project, why not take a look at the following article: 

homify 360°: Family home extension and refurbishment, Wandsworth

Have you enjoyed taking a tour of this exclusive London apartment? Let us know in the comment section below

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