Architecture and interiors by Architecture for London

Photography by Nick Dearden

Source: Building Design

London, UK

At 96 Albert Street, near Regent's Park, a 200-year-old Georgian townhouse had been carved into eight bedrooms for multiple occupancy. Architecture for London reversed the subdivision, reinstating the house as a single-family home across five full storeys and 280 square metres. The project, led by architect Amrit Marway with contractor FN Building Ltd, ran from October 2023 to August 2024.

The original fabric is treated with respect throughout. On the principal first-floor rooms, ornate period cornices have been retained, their egg-and-dart and acanthus profiles intact above restored six-over-six sash windows with working shutters. Bespoke oak joinery is the primary new insertion in the Georgian rooms: floor-to-ceiling cabinetry with flush, handleless doors sits beside open shelving units that display ceramics and trailing plants. The oak is pale and clear-coated, its straight grain quietly distinct from the moulded plaster surrounds.

At the rear, a two-storey extension breaks from the period envelope entirely. The ceiling structure is left exposed: rotary-cut and flatsawn Douglas fir beams span between pale fir infill panels, their swirling grain patterns visible from below. Orluna downlights are recessed between the beams, and a large rooflight with a black steel frame brings diffused daylight deep into the lower level. Where the extension meets the original rear wall, a courtyard lightwell separates old from new, letting light wash down the brick facade.

The kitchen pairs the same warm oak cabinetry with Mazzorbo honed green terrazzo worktops by Design Driven, the deep sage-green aggregate a quiet counterpoint to the pale wood above. Beech flooring by Junckers and Ketley quarry tiles handle the harder-wearing ground and lower-ground levels, while original floorboards were exposed and refinished in the upper rooms. Portland Stone paving extends into the rear garden.

The layout is flexible by design: kitchens on both the lower ground and top floors allow semi-independent living for extended family, a practical gesture that keeps the house adaptable across generations without dividing it again.

Tags: Architecture for London, London, UK, Townhouse, Renovation