Belsize Park house that’s a tribute to its owner’s Mumbai roots
When George Bradley of architecture firm Bradley Van Der Straeten first met the owners of this home, chat soon turned to the cold and drabness of British winters and how to survive them. Many of us feel our mood drop as the temperature plummets, but for George’s clients, Gautham and Sreeja, a move from Mumbai to the UK had intensified the challenge.
‘They talked with us about how their artwork makes them feel warm. A lot of it is tropical in theme; it is escapist but comforting,’ he says. ‘They view colour as a way to get them through.’
It was these discussions that inspired George and his team to take the chilli reds, lush greens and vibrant blues from the couple’s collected paintings and make them a defining part of the architecture of their new home.
Aside from warmth, the main concerns were space and light. This home was once two apartments, with Gautham and Sreeja owning just the upper level. It was after buying the downstairs flat, too, with its higher ceilings, that the pair got in touch with BVDS with the idea to recreate the vast, lateral living spaces they’d enjoyed in Mumbai.
‘They shared a video of one of their grandparent’s houses for inspiration,’ recalls George, who was intent more on creating the right mood than translating an architectural style.
His approach hinged on the biggest intervention in the space: the staircase. The new link between the entertaining level on the lower floor (living room, kitchen, office) and the private areas above had to make a statement. First, the team needed to decide where to put it. ‘One plan had the staircase at the other side of the flat; in another it was in the middle.
In the one we chose, it’s right there at the entrance,’ explains George, who liked that it emphasised the crosslight in the apartment (it has windows on one side, with internal glazing also allowing a view through to the ones above the double-height study).
There were challenges, of course. The floor had to be raised on the bottom level to reinforce the broken-flow layout, while the necessities of shared piping and electrical work in the apartment block meant there was a lot of disguise at play – but it’s testament to the skill of this project that nothing feels like a compromise.
Instead, glazed doors allow spaces to be closed off (another necessity in colder months) without disrupting the passage of sunlight, and precise details of colour and form tie the whole scheme together. See how the circular staircase’s shape is mirrored in the rounded end of the kitchen island and the curve of the walk-in shower.
This home may be what Gautham and Sreeja needed to remind them of Mumbai, but there were times, admits George, that the plan was out of theirc omfort zone. ‘They wouldn’t have chosen all of these colours or had the confidence to think it would work. The red, blues and greens definitely gave them moments of doubt.’
The key, he believes, was an understanding built up over hours of talking and shared enthusiasm. ‘Without trust, we can’t do what we do,’ he states, ‘but, equally, you have to earn that trust.’ The payoff can be magical. b-vds.co.uk
