A River Runs Through It: A Family’s Barge-Turned-Houseboat on the Thames

As anyone who’s ever looked to purchase a home in a bustling metropolis can tell you, the real estate market can be put-up-your-dukes competitive. May we suggest expanding your options and taking a page from Claire and Alistair Langhorn, who bought a 1950s Dutch barge on the Thames and converted the 2,150 square-foot floating space into chic living quarters for their family of four?

Of course, it may help if you’re an architect (like Claire and Alistair, who are directors of LAB Architects) and already have experience with such conversions (LAB’s headquarters are on a barge just up the river from the houseboat). When the pair toured the commercial boat, which in its former life traveled the European waterway shuttling coal and grains, they saw, both literally and metaphorically, an empty vessel in which they could design a family home—complete with a playful wing for their two kids, a peaceful suite for the couple, and a glass conservatory, to boot.

Now that their children are grown, Claire and Alistair are selling their floating abode. (You can find the listing on The Modern House.)

Let’s take a tour.

Photography courtesy of The Modern House.

For more houseboats, see:

• Rehab Diary: The Ultimate Houseboat in NYC
• More Boat for the Buck: A Cost-Conscious California Houseboat Remodel by Medium Plenty
• 6 Small-Space Ideas to Steal from a Japanese-Inspired Houseboat in Amsterdam