A
ny major build project or renovation is an act of creation that demands faith in the process and sometimes just sheer will.
Yet Rachel and James Tilson not only completed this jaw-dropping remodel, but they did so with creativity and enthusiasm. This couple are busy professionals with a young family, and they needed a new home in north London. They found a mid-terrace, four-storey Victorian property that needed more than a little TLC. Where other buyers played safe, James and Rachel saw an opportunity to redesign the building to their own needs and tastes; a home for the 21st century. The house was in a generally poor condition. Dank and badly insulated, it suffered from a series of ill-conceived extensions that compromised the fl ow’ and severed connection to the garden. Worse still, “it had some subsidence issues,” recalls James. “This scared off a lot of people, so it was cheaper, although we had to pay cash. We knew we were going to be doing a basement and would therefore need to completely redo the foundations. So actually, the subsidence made zero difference to us. We got a great price, so it was uniquely good.” The couple worked with Andrew Mulroy of
Mulroy Architects, a practice that excels at solving architectural puzzles. James came across them while searching for planning applications in the area. The couple’s brief to ndrew was a home fi lled with light, which is energy effi cient and sustainable. They also wanted a fl exible home for the family to grow and evolve. “The design was an organic process, and we were pretty involved. e weren’t scared, says ames.
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“We loved getting involved, and we had lots of enthusiasm.”
The design that emerged is fairly radical. Although in the original parts of the house, James and Rachel have chosen to respect the Victorian heritage, in the newly enlarged basement level and the rear extension on the ground fl oor, the style is far more contemporary. The house still has fi ve bedrooms, but there are now additions, including a cinema and gym in the basement. While there are other changes to the layout, the most striking change is a russet- coloured steel staircase in a double-height atrium. This is a sculptural focal point at the heart of the home. “We were thinking about a discreet staircase to maximise fl oorspace, says ames. But that wouldn’t have been great to use, and we already had plenty of living space. We were working out how we wanted the building to look: utilitarian or stand out. We chose to stand out.” Powder-coated in orange paint to appear like Corten steel (budgetary constraints ruled out using Corten itself), the staircase connects the ground fl oor to the basement. The couple sacrifi ced the former dining room to create the void, but this was no real loss, as it had been a dark, internal room which added little usable space. By removing the fl oor, we created a bright and airy double-height space in the heart of the house,” says Tom Harris of Mulroy Architects. “The atrium helps the home feel more open and connected, celebrating the relationship between the old and new and forming a grand entrance to the basement, fi lled with natural light.
LOW POINT
“Moving in day. Our children were aged two and four. We moved in over the weekend, and we had no hot water, so we had to shower at the gym. The grill over the lightwell had not been installed, and a fox fell in and was injured. We had to call the fi re brigade
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