Our renovation of a Grade II* listed Victorian apartment at Whitehall Court in Westminster is now featured as a case study by Samuel Heath, the Birmingham maker whose brassware we specified for the two new en-suites. Here is the thinking behind those choices.
A client who knew the apartment intimately
Our client had lived in the apartment for more than ten years, so the brief came from long experience of how the rooms worked and where they fell short. Our approach was to work with the building rather than against it. A bespoke green terrazzo floor at the entrance picks up the patterning of the Victorian communal hallway, and pale oak chevron flooring runs through the living spaces, which look out across Horse Guards Parade.
As Eamonn Agha puts it, the aim was interior architecture that felt contemporary but never disconnected from the history around it.
Two en-suites, two characters
Both bathrooms were reconfigured and redesigned. The larger en-suite has no natural daylight, so we kept it light: Carrara marble with Samuel Heath Landmark Pure brassware in Urban Brass Matt Lacquered. The smaller en-suite has daylight in the shower, which let us use a darker, warmer palette, paired with the same Landmark Pure range in City Bronze.
Why lacquered finishes
Unlacquered brass develops a patina over time, which suits some projects. Here the client wanted the look approved at installation to stay exactly as it was, so both finishes are lacquered and will not patinate or change. Samuel Heath was chosen for the quality and precision of its fittings, and for how naturally they sit in a historic setting. Fittings by the same maker are found in the neighbouring Liberal Club.
Designed and made in-house
Alongside the bathrooms, our team designed and made the bespoke joinery for the apartment in our West London workshop, so every detail, from cabinetry to ironmongery, was coordinated by one studio. You can see the full project on our Whitehall Court project page, and read Samuel Heath's case study on their website.
Photography by French+Tye.
