{"id":2936,"date":"2025-04-22T12:29:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T04:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2025\/04\/22\/making-history-a-primrose-hill-house-brought-back-and-forward-in-time-by-mark-lewis-interior-design\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T12:29:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T04:29:17","slug":"making-history-a-primrose-hill-house-brought-back-and-forward-in-time-by-mark-lewis-interior-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/es\/making-history-a-primrose-hill-house-brought-back-and-forward-in-time-by-mark-lewis-interior-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Haciendo historia: Una casa de Primrose Hill retrocede y avanza en el tiempo por Mark Lewis Interior Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Victorian townhouse in London\u2019s Primrose Hill had been \u201cnailed by contractors,\u201d says project manager Emily Girling. This was not intended as a compliment. Girling is a member of the small team at Mark Lewis Interior Design, and grand resuscitations with a historic bent are Lewis\u2019s specialty: see, for instance, A \u201cModern Victorian Loft\u201d in Hoxton Square and Mark Lewis\u2019s Inspired Reinvention of His Family\u2019s North London Row House.<\/p>\n

This four-floor renovation for a couple with kids and dogs (he\u2019s the CEO of an advertising agency) became the firm\u2019s pandemic project. \u201cVery few original details remained, so it was a case of reinstating features, such as fireplaces, cornices, and parquet floor,\u201d continued Girling. And of rethinking the layout: \u201cThe lower floor was a rabbit warren of rooms. We built a small extension at the rear and opened up the space into a huge open-plan kitchen-living area.\u201d<\/p>\n

To see the house now is to go back in time to an era of brick hearths and generous Aga stoves\u2014and forward to our own century\u2019s sunny, free-flowing interiors and \u201cAmerican-size\u201d refrigerators. Scroll to the end to see Before and After floor plans.<\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of Mark Lewis Interior Design.<\/p>\n

Garden Level Kitchen<\/h2>\n


Above: The garden level of the house was \u201ccompletely opened up\u201d says Mark, of the new extension with Crittal windows and a raised ceiling. The owners asked the firm to add details that feel original to the house, and to create a sense of \u201ccalm, comfort, and organization.\u201d <\/p>\n

The French oak parquet floor was sourced from UK salvage specialists Lassco. The white paint used throughout is Linen Wash from Little Green (emulsion on the walls, eggshell on the woodwork). The new back stair has a painted runner (Dead Salmon from Farrow & Ball) and tongue-and-groove-paneled under-the-stair storage plus a WC.<\/p>\n


Above: The large island was requested by the clients. It\u2019s not the usual Mark Lewis kitchen feature, but it incorporates his signature design details, such as ventilated produce drawers inspired by apple crates (each drawer is three slats deep). The cabinets are a new finish that the firm developed for the project: it\u2019s hand-painted wood with an aged-waxed finish. The countertops are oak and Carrara marble.,

Above: The blush pink ER7 series 100 Aga is electric with a gas \u201chob module\u201d on the side. The surrounding hearth was built from salvaged \u201cwhite Suffolk brick,\u201d which reappears in several other rooms. The Encaustic Tiles used as the backsplash are from Milagros, a London store that sells handmade Mexican products.
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Above: Brass faucets from Ashton Matthews are paired with a Shaws Edgworth double sink. The sink-side ceramic pots are from the Mark Lewis Home Store, a collection of hard-to-find design details that Lewis has started manufacturing and offering  via his website.
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Above: The waxed finish on the wood cabinets looks like patinated metal. The cast-bronze <\/span>Moray Cupboard Pull Handles
\n were designed for the kitchen and are a new addition to the Mark Lewis Home Store. The island\u2019s <\/span>Avery Bar Stools
\n are from Pinch in leather from Howe.<\/span>,

Above: The Moray Dishwasher Pull is another new cast-bronze design created for the house. <\/p>\n

Garden-Level Living-Dining Room<\/h2>\n


Above: The kitchen flows into a dining-living area. The pine table was the clients\u2019 own: \u201cwe just sanded and refinished it with a clear oil finish,\u201d says Girling. The Avery Dining Chairs by Pinch are a companion design to the bar stools. The Ledbury Skinny Ribbed Glass Contemporary Wall Lights, used here and in just about every other room, are by Fritz Fryer. The pendants are Fritz Fryer\u2019s Skinny Wye Valley Railroad Lights.
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Above: The room\u2019s re-created fireplace has a surround of reclaimed Suffolk brick, a hearth of reclaimed York stone, and a Charnwood stove. \u201cCeilings in the lower ground floor didn\u2019t allow space for a cornice, so the floor-to-ceiling paneling adds a touch of grandeur,\u201d notes Girling. (There\u2019s a television tucked behind the double doors).,

Above: The Delft-style hearth tiles, in green rather than the traditional blue, are the work of The Douglas Watson Studio and include portraits of the family\u2019s two dogs: Gimble, shown here, is a Brussels Griffin.
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Above: A window seat is upholstered in a Robert Kime velvet. <\/p>\n

Planta baja<\/h2>\n


Above: The design team reconfigured the floor to create one long entrance hall, so there\u2019s a view from the front door to the back garden. The marbled encaustic tiles came out of a palace in Seville; they were sourced, Lewis tells us, from \u201ca super cool guy called Chris who runs Mailtland & Poate,\u201d a London company specializing in antique cement tiles. <\/p>\n

The stair has a new Victorian-style hand rail made of sapele, a hardwood that resembles mahogany. The jute runner is from Tim Page Carpets.<\/p>\n

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Above: A newly painted antique bench by the front door provides a place to take off shoes and store them. For more ideas, see 10 Easy Pieces: Storage Benches.
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Above: The combination living room\/study is more formal than the downstairs living space. The velvet sofa is a George Smith.
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Above: The living room is divided from the study by a semi-glazed partition with a door,
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Above: A built-in bookshelf and hearth for storing firewood in the study. <\/p>\n

Main Bedroom<\/h2>\n


Above: The second floor is the parents\u2019 quarters and the kids\u2019 rooms are on the top floor. The velvet headboard is a custom design with a border of bronze studs. \u201cThe floor,\u201d notes Girling, \u201cis one of the only finishes in the house that we didn\u2019t install ourselves.\u201d,

Above: The new fireplace is composed of old brick and salvaged encaustic tile.
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Above: The custom cabinet, in Farrow & Ball\u2019s De Nimes blue, houses a TV. The slipper chair is a side-of-the-road rescue reupholstered in a Kate Forman \u201cduck egg\u201d velvet.  The curtains are made of Robert Kime\u2019s, Avebury linen, a pattern inspired by a 19th century French scarf. <\/p>\n

Main Bath<\/h2>\n


Above: A chimney breast was opened up to fit the double sink from Aston Matthews, UK specialists in classic bathroom fittings.
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Above: Reclaimed Spanish tiles cover the shower area from floor to ceiling.,

Above: A paneled divider sets off a clawfoot bathtub from Drummonds, another UK company that sells traditional bathroom designs (Drummonds has an NYC showroom). Read about wood paneling in Remodeling 101: The Ultimate Guide to Shiplap, Beadboard, and V-Groove Paneling.
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Above: The shower has a Carrara marble step and shelves. The brass shower fixture is from Aston Matthews.
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Above: Mark Lewis is a stickler for details.
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Above: A brass Hot-Water Towel Warmer from Aston Matthews. <\/p>\n

Before and After Floor Plans<\/h2>\n

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Above: The lower-ground floor \u2014the garden level of the house\u2014had been divided into small rooms. The design team inserted a structural steel column that enabled the creation of a combination living area and kitchen; the latter is located where the \u201cTV snug\u201d once was. Note the new yoga room extension with a view of the garden.
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Above: The ground floor was reconfigured \u201cso you can see right to the end of the house from the front door,\u201d says Lewis. These sight lines were made possible by new windows and the glazed partition that divides the study from the living room.
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Above: The main bedroom has a reinstated fireplace. The walk-in closet was reduced to make room for the new bathroom with walk-in shower and bathtub.
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Above: The children\u2019s quarters on the top floor were redecorated but otherwise largely preserved as was. <\/p>\n

More Mark Lewis designs:<\/p>\n