• Contact Us
• About Us
• Other Publications
• KELSEY Publishing Group
• Subscribe
• Newsletter
• Careers

Maxing the mix

Four years ago, Andrew Post's university friend mentioned over dinner that his father's Georgian town house was up for sale. This was an opportunity not to be missed. So Andrew and his wife Mary Aylmer, an engineering lecturer at the City University, skipped pudding, jumped in their car and rushed round to view the house. Despite the cluttered rooms and dated Laura Ashley wallpaper, it was perfect and, before long, the 19th Century end-terrace property in Clerkenwell was their home.

The foundations of this Grade II listed building are deeply rooted in local history. The New River Company supplied fresh water to Londoners from Hertfordshire for nearly 300 years and the land, once a New River reservoir, was subsequently sold to developers. The street was thus named after Chadwell spring in Ware.

During the 20th Century, the house was split into bedsits and, although the property lost some of its early grandeur, many of the original features survived. The previous owners painstakingly restored most of the house back to its former glory during the 1970s. "The renovation was done to an impeccably high standard," Mary remembers. But there were some minor cosmetic alterations to be made, such as ripping off the wallpaper and taking each wall back to a blank canvas.

The layout of the sophisticated six-storey terrace was ideal apart from the master bedroom on the second floor. The original Georgian floor plan had been altered to accommodate a small bathroom dividing the front and back rooms, which left the overall space feeling cramped and disjointed. The solution was to knock out the central room, turning three poky spaces into one open-plan area - instantly flooding it with natural light through the rear sash window. The couple radically re-interpreted the classic Georgian concept to install a bath in the bedroom. The sturdy low-level bathtub sits in some splendour in front of the traditional fireplace that was restored by the couple. As Andrew points out, there is "a decorative hierarchy in Georgian architecture", and the simple wooden surround is suitable for the room. The eye-catching curved bath was lowered into a hand-crafted base made from layers of waterproof birch plywood glued together, cut to shape and hand-sanded.

A structural engineer confirmed that the existing floor joists were sturdy enough to take the extra weight of the tub. However, he thought it prudent to add one small steel beam and ingeniously proposed inserting a thin layer of plywood under the floorboards at this level. This helped stiffen the structure and ensure that it will last for at least another couple of centuries. The project took six months to complete and was on time and on budget. The new L-shaped layout sticks to the formal two-room one consistent with the rest of the house. Crucially, the design considered modern day living requirements, such as clothes storage and a shower, without losing the symmetry of the room. The linen basket sits compactly underneath the window seat and the traditional airing cupboard has been scrapped in favour of a sophisticated drawer that is kept warm by the pipework from the underfloor heating. "We were able to add modern ideas although, broadly speaking, we adhered to the original style of the property," says Andrew.

The couple thought up the innovative design together, but creating their vision has definitely been a team effort. With the help of architect Kristina Butschbacher of Jeff Kahane + Associates and Karl Long of L&K Builders Ltd, their dreams became a reality.

The extensive renovation of the second floor is the only structural improvement the couple have carried out. Over the years, various additions have been made to the original house. According to Andrew, the first extension was probably built during the 1840s. "The house was extended backwards with a bowed facade typical of the seaside architecture of the early Victorian era." A less impressive square extension was added much later.

The master bedroom and bathroom, much like the rest of the house, have been updated sensitively (and with the approval of the conservation officer from Islington council), reinstating the Georgian character and removing the inappropriate elements of the 1970s restoration.

The retro wooden fitted kitchen on the ground floor was the height of modernism in the seventies and it still has resonance today. The pull-out breakfast bar and tea towel dryer add to the distinctively quirky style of the property. The off-white walls continue through the elegant dining room into the narrow stairwell to the drawing room, where a plasterboard Palladian-style pillar and an old bureau stand cheek-by-jowl. The expansive floor-to-ceiling windows are another constant reminder of the building's Georgian character. At the back of the drawing room, double doors lead to a terrace overlooking the pretty walled garden below with its York flagstones.

Throughout the home, the antique furniture blends perfectly with contemporary finishing touches. In the guest bedroom, a remarkable 17th Century coffer rests in front of the Toile de Jouy wallpaper bought from local shop Timorous Beasties, depicting a contemporary urban scene of London's skyline in a traditional pattern.

The meticulous attention to detail, range of colour and eclectic mix of old and new makes this home delightfully diverse. There is even a classic 1970s intercom, which is still in full working order and extraordinarily useful in a house with six floors. But its clear inspiration is expressed in the couple's passion for art, and the large off-white square symmetrical walls provide the ideal backdrop to display their much-loved artwork.