Artist’s Studios – From a Bachelor’s Pad to a Family Home
Alan Waxman is the Founder and Chief Executive at Landmass. In this article, he talks about an old artist’s studio that they turned from a bachelor’s pad to a family home.
In the heart of London, interior design company Landmass transforms a 143-year-old former artist’s studio from a bachelor’s pad to a classy family home. Goodbye, big and cold party room – hello, multi-purpose space!
Built in 1878 and being in Mews style only – having no equine history, the two-storey property has a painted brick façade and a to-die-for floor-to-ceiling arched window that spans the double height space inside. Initially purchased by the client over a decade ago, this double height studio was just that – double height living space with a kitchen, a mezzanine floor above that acted as a master bedroom, a small bedroom to the side and a bathroom. The property lacked depth, and so it was added in the shape of a full-size basement. The basement contributed four spaces to the property – another bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry and a bigger-than-life party room. Ten years later we joined the picture.
With the family growing, the client wished to transform the basement into a family-friendly space. The requests were simple: a master bedroom, an en suite, a walk-in wardrobe and, above all, storage! Our proposed layout made sure that every inch of the basement had a purpose and wasn’t being wasted. We kept, re-located and re-purposed what we could and heavily concentrated on making the space bright and airy – since basements tend to have very limited natural light.
The project didn’t come without a hiccup or two – the biggest one being the logistics of getting the enormous porcelain slabs for the bathroom down into the basement. For this we had to remove an entire row of built-in wardrobes in the hallway to give us manoeuvring space. It was all worth it in the end, but a hard lesson was learned.
Landmass was founded in 1998 by managing director Alan Waxman. Based in London’s Soho, it is a multi-award-winning, RIBA chartered design and development company. We deliver meticulously planned design solutions and bespoke luxury properties worldwide.