B


ritish-born chef Andrew Wong grew up in the same Pimlico end-terrace house where he lives today with his wife Nathalie and


their two children, aged 11 and nine. “This part of London has always been home,” he says. “My parents used their life savings to buy this house in 1989, but there was very little money left over to do any work, so it was quite dated and rundown.” As a chef, Andrew has been immersed in the world of restaurants since childhood. His father was the fi rst hinese publican in the  and later opened a antonese restaurant in Pimlico, now the location of Andrew’s own celebrated restaurant, .ong  the fi rst hinese restaurant outside Asia to be awarded two Michelin stars. “We had gutted and rebuilt restaurants


before, but never a house,” says Andrew, who previously lived with his wife and children in a small Pimlico fl at. hen my mum moved bac to ong ong  started thining about selling our old family home but walking around the building with architect Alex Michaelis completely changed my mind, as memories of wonderful times there came fl ooding bac. The resulting extreme makeover is testimony to the talents of architecture and design studio Michaelis Boyd and to Nathalie Wong’s minimalist vision. Windows that had once been blocked up to evade the window tax were reinstated and the building’s tapering corner footprint presented a unique opportunity to create unusually shaped bathrooms at the narrow end. A pivotal architectural decision was to relocate the staircase from the corner to the centre of the house. This sculptural feature spirals elegantly


34


from basement to attic, crowned by a skylight that fl oods the vertical core with daylight. e stayed living in our fl at during the build, which was all organised by our architect. The entire place was gutted, and all the fl oors have been recalibrated to create enough head height in the loft for our son’s bedroom,” says Andrew. “We work 16-hour days in the restaurant business, but Nathalie somehow found time to source curved furniture and light fi ttings to complement the design.” The family sitting room is situated in the basement and opens onto two small courtyard areas, while the original chimney wall now contains a bespoe fi replace and fi tted cabinetry, with the dramatic staircase cascading down to create a focal point. fter living in a fl at, it feels strange waling downstairs to the living room,” says Andrew. Light oa fl ooring and underfl oor heating create a warm, inviting atmosphere, and the neutral palette enhances the sculptural quality of the space.


Step down into the building’s original vaults


to fi nd a laundry room and library storage for Andrew’s thousands of cookbooks. “The vaults were always outside, so incorporating them into the house has given us additional usable space,” he explains. Once cold and unused, these compact chambers now contain a Belfast sink, fi tted cabinetry and shelving designed to mae every inch functional. Adjacent to the sitting room, a guest room


offers a bright retreat with its own ensuite bathroom, while at the front of the house a bold boot room – painted deep blue – provides a striking contrast to the soft, natural colour


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