Pimlico Townhouse Downstairs

Improvements to this London home were made in tandem with a sister project in rural Suffolk. Central to the renovation was the removal of several walls in in the basement. From four original rooms, the transformed space allowed for an open-plan kitchen, dining room and family room. Sculptural lighting highlights the large, central island in the kitchen. Painted in a night-sky blue, this echoes the fine herringbone blue wall tiling over the hob. The panelled dining area features an oval dining table with a new top, cleverly commissioned to better fit the shape and circulation of the room. Decorated in greys and blues at the garden end, bespoke cabinetry for the family room was designed around a favourite painting. The project’s pre-planning phase required detailed work with the architect and lighting designer. Emma also worked closely with an art curator to help sort and properly rehang the client’s collection of paintings. By considering the new position of furniture and artwork and at different times of day, potential ‘black holes’ of light were avoided. Planning lighting sounds simple but is harder to achieve in practice without an expert.