Houzz Tour: A Chic Penthouse Flat With a Roof Terrace in West London
Luxurious fabrics and beautiful stones have been used throughout this apartment to create an elegant, relaxing home
Located at the top of an old embassy building – one of the beautiful white stucco houses on Belgrave Square – this luxurious, light penthouse flat has been magicked from a formerly dingy space. ‘It was a very tired rented property when we started the work,’ says lead architect Carolyn Trevor. ‘We had to take the entire roof off and demolish the old flat; it was very architectural.’ The result of the thoughtful renovation, though, is light reception rooms, intimate bedrooms and a glorious roof terrace.
The flat is spread over two floors, with a roof terrace at the top. A staircase leads up to a small room, where drinks can be prepared, and the terrace itself, which is laid with hard-wearing ipe decking. James Holderness Landscape Design took care of all of the plants up here, creating a sheltered and green space. ‘There are incredible views over London,’ says Carolyn.
See portable design fixes for your outdoor space
See portable design fixes for your outdoor space
The penthouse is arranged in an unconventional manner. ‘There are three bedrooms with en suites downstairs, and a living room and kitchen-diner on the upper level, plus stairs up to the roof terrace. ‘It’s much darker on the lower level and the ceiling is lower, plus it’s quite spread out across two houses, so it made more sense to have the bedrooms there and the communal spaces upstairs,’ explains Carolyn.
The living room is quite slick and modern, but with a classic feel. There’s a lot of light in here. ‘It’s sort of like a retreat at the top of the building,’ explains the architect. With built-in air conditioning, a sound system, electric blinds and underfloor heating, it has all the mod cons one would expect in a smart penthouse.
Sofas, Christian Liaigre. Rug, Fort Street Studio.
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The living room is quite slick and modern, but with a classic feel. There’s a lot of light in here. ‘It’s sort of like a retreat at the top of the building,’ explains the architect. With built-in air conditioning, a sound system, electric blinds and underfloor heating, it has all the mod cons one would expect in a smart penthouse.
Sofas, Christian Liaigre. Rug, Fort Street Studio.
Check out 11 ways to add luxury to your living space
Off the living room (and over the master bathroom) is a second terrace. It’s smaller than the top floor one, but it still has some pretty great views over the square, and makes the perfect spot for long lunches in the summer.
On the same floor as the living room and small terrace is the open-plan kitchen-diner. ‘There was no way we could fit a separate dining room in,’ explains Carolyn, ‘and, actually, fewer and fewer people have designated dining rooms in London now.’ The long dining table and upholstered chairs still cater for plenty of guests, though.
Dining table and chairs, Armani Casa.
Dining table and chairs, Armani Casa.
Carolyn wanted the kitchen to be less of a kitchen and more of an additional living space. ‘I tried to conceal the kitchen behind the island,’ she explains. She kept it all low level to create a calm atmosphere.
The kitchen is at the front of the property, and so has a sloping ceiling that follows the mansard roof. A black granite worktop and painted oak cabinets create a sleek, dark look. The huge skylight over the table balances out the darker elements in the room, and can be opened up entirely during nice weather, so it’s almost like dining outside.
Hob, Gaggenau.
The kitchen is at the front of the property, and so has a sloping ceiling that follows the mansard roof. A black granite worktop and painted oak cabinets create a sleek, dark look. The huge skylight over the table balances out the darker elements in the room, and can be opened up entirely during nice weather, so it’s almost like dining outside.
Hob, Gaggenau.
The staircase down to the lower level is enclosed in glass, with the living room on the right and the kitchen-diner on the left. Between the two is a small lobby area containing a horse statue. The skylight at the top forms part of the floor of the roof terrace, and keeps the staircase incredibly light.
Walls painted in Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball.
Walls painted in Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball.
The bright staircase leads down to the much darker lobby and on to the bedrooms. The lower floor spans two townhouses, and a long corridor leads to the three en suite bedrooms. ‘I chose a textured wallpaper for this area to create a bit more atmosphere and add another dimension,’ Carolyn says. The flooring is dark-stained oak, adding to the more intimate mood.
Wallpaper, Stereo. Rug, Sinclair Till.
Wallpaper, Stereo. Rug, Sinclair Till.
The master bedroom suite is expansive, and includes a bathroom and dressing room. Carolyn had the bed, bedside tables and armchairs made bespoke. ‘I went for a dark stained oak because it’s a very stable material,’ she explains.
‘The idea was that the look be quite masculine,’ she continues. Three of the walls are painted, but the area behind the bed is covered in cashmere, to which the paint was matched.
Mirrored reveals help to bring in plenty of light. ‘It’s quite a deep room and we wanted to make it lighter,’ says Carolyn. A TV pops up from the windowsill, too.
Armchairs upholstered in velvet, Bruno Triplet. Cashmere wallcovering, Loro Piana.
‘The idea was that the look be quite masculine,’ she continues. Three of the walls are painted, but the area behind the bed is covered in cashmere, to which the paint was matched.
Mirrored reveals help to bring in plenty of light. ‘It’s quite a deep room and we wanted to make it lighter,’ says Carolyn. A TV pops up from the windowsill, too.
Armchairs upholstered in velvet, Bruno Triplet. Cashmere wallcovering, Loro Piana.
There’s a wardrobe in each corner of the room to allow for plenty of storage. They’re also in dark-stained oak, and upholstered in a textured woven fabric.
Carpet, Blenheim Carpets.
Carpet, Blenheim Carpets.
The master bathroom is big and luxurious. Carolyn went for a honed Calacatta d’Oro marble, rather than polished, to give it more of a contemporary feel. Behind the basin wall there’s a shower and toilet that can be accessed from either side.
To get so much marble into the building, the team had to hoist it up via a scaffold. To do so, they had to close off Belgrave Square for the afternoon.
Taps, Barbara Barry at Bathrooms International.
To get so much marble into the building, the team had to hoist it up via a scaffold. To do so, they had to close off Belgrave Square for the afternoon.
Taps, Barbara Barry at Bathrooms International.
The wall behind the bed in the second bedroom is lined in stained oak. There’s wood on the opposite wall, too, so it feels rather library-like. ‘We wanted to do something different in here,’ explains Carolyn.
Bedside lamps, Christian Liaigre.
Bedside lamps, Christian Liaigre.
Carolyn designed the second bedroom’s en suite and drew it all up, then had it made in bateig blue limestone to give it a very different feel to the master.
Taps, Dornbracht. Towel rail, Bathrooms International.
Taps, Dornbracht. Towel rail, Bathrooms International.
The third bedroom features a textured grasscloth wallpaper. ‘It’s a bit boring to just have acres of paint,’ says Carolyn. ‘The client didn’t want to have much art in here, so the wallpaper adds a bit of richness and texture to the walls.’
Bedspread, L&B. Bedside lamps, Ralph Lauren. Wallpaper, Stereo.
Bedspread, L&B. Bedside lamps, Ralph Lauren. Wallpaper, Stereo.
TELL US…
What do you like about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you like about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Location West London
Size 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Architect Carolyn Trevor of TLA Studio
The penthouse underwent a full renovation, and much of the previous structure was demolished in order to make way for a London pad with ‘a bit of an edge to it: not too traditional but not too modern, either,’ says Carolyn.