Architects: Architecture for London
Project Architects: Amrit Marway and Ben Ridley
Structural Engineer: Architecture for London
Main Contractor: Jonat Ltd
Start on Site Date: August 2022
Completion Date: October 2023
Gross Internal Floor Area: 1,668 square feet (155 square meters)
Photography: Nick Dearden
Form of Contract and/or Procurement: JCT Intermediate Works with CDP, traditional tendering process
Selected Suppliers: Forbo Flooring Systems (Linoleum Flooring), Ketley Bricks (LGF and External Quarry Tiles), Knotistry Ltd (Jute Herringbone Carpets)
Construction: Refurbishment and Extension
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Barnsbury House residential refurbishment by Architecture for London in Thornhill Grove, London, has transformed a listed Georgian terrace into a contemporary home for two cultural professionals. Completed in October 2023, the project integrates modern interventions with preserved historical elements, drawing on the aesthetic philosophy of Kettle’s Yard. The redesign includes a restructured lower ground floor, bespoke joinery, reclaimed materials, and improved thermal performance. The intervention supports family life, intellectual work, and domestic use while maintaining architectural continuity and material restraint throughout the house.
“Rooms snug and light, not overlarge but neat… Where everything looks elegant and chaste.” This excerpt from Travels Through an Unwrecked Landscape encapsulates the architectural ambition behind Barnsbury House, a Grade II-listed Georgian home in the Barnsbury Conservation Area. Refurbished and extended by Architecture for London, the house was redesigned for an art historian and a museum curator. Their brief sought a thoughtful balance between historical integrity and contemporary living, prompting a design approach inspired by Jim Ede’s curatorial philosophy at Kettle’s Yard.
The architects responded by shaping the interiors as spaces for family life, study, and reflection. Material choices and spatial composition prioritize clarity, continuity, and a quiet layering of the old with the new. The lower ground floor, once dark and constrained by a fragmented kitchen layout, has been reorganized into an open, light-filled family space. Brick tile flooring references the tactile informality of Kettle’s Yard. Exposed original features such as soot-stained fireplaces and timber joists were preserved, grounding the new work in the house’s architectural history.
The kitchen, custom-built for this level, features Carrara marble countertops, sawn English oak fronts, and interiors painted in a deep heritage red. These materials establish a calm but textured palette that carries through the rest of the house. Adjacent to the kitchen, the front and side vaults were repurposed as naturally lit storage and utility spaces.
A modest side extension was introduced to accommodate a pantry and a shower room. At the rear, the former conservatory was replaced with a slim metal-framed addition that respects the scale and geometry of the existing building while enhancing functionality.
On the mezzanine level, a custom-built study includes a concealed guest bed and a built-in desk. A bay window seat frames views of the garden and offers a quiet place for reading and writing.
Reclaimed materials were used wherever possible. Stone for the rear patio and bricks for the new side wall were salvaged to preserve material continuity. The original rear outrigger was insulated from the inside to improve thermal performance, leaving the exterior appearance unchanged.
Barnsbury House is a precise and restrained transformation that responds to the needs of its occupants while honoring the heritage of the building. Through careful detailing, measured spatial interventions, and material sensitivity, the project creates a home that supports both domestic life and intellectual pursuit.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Thornhill Grove, London N1, UK
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
