The request can’t have been customary, even for a firm committed to artfully restoring old buildings. Tuckey Design Studio’s client, a Hong Kong businessman who frequently travels to the UK for work, wanted a bespoke alternative to hotel stays. He presented the architects with an early Victorian townhouse in the heart of Knightsbridge and asked that they transform it into “a minimalist, monastery-like space.”
The client discovered Tuckey from a first-rate source: he admired the firm’s work on the nearby Egg Trading boutique and home, two Remodelista landmarks, and wanted a similar approach, combining preservation and reinvention.
Citing the all-timber interior of Kyoto’s 17th century Katsura Imperial Villa as their inspiration, project architects, Ryuta Hirayama and Dan Stilwell, responded by stripping down the structure and spotlighting its wooden lattice structure throughout. Featuring a complex combination of new and gnarled timbers, their work was recently shortlisted for a 2024 Wood Award. “A singular post on the lower ground floor acts as the house’s trunk, progressively stemming out in all directions culminating in a plywood canopy on the top ceiling,” they write. Join us for an exploratory tour.
Photography by Fran Mart, unless noted, courtesy of Tuckey Design Studio.
Tuckey Design Studio’s work included meticulously restoring the façade, which had been “smothered and obscured in a flat white render” (scroll to the end for a Before shot). It now has double-glazed wooden sash windows in place of PVC and an enclosed front courtyard. Photograph by Dirk Lindner.
Stilwell and Hirayama offset the wood with white walls and enlisted ship builders to create a complex curving stair with a dramatic plywood enclosure stained midnight blue (see more of it below).
Explains Hirayama: “In place of extending the footprint, we maximized the psychological space through gap shadow walls, mirrors, and allowing the height of the building to be visible throughout.”
Above: The cabinets are bespoke and have a cast concrete countertop and backsplash.
Before
We are longstanding Tuckey Design Studio fans:
- A Family Home in a Seaside Church in Devon: A Creative Reuse Project
- A Century-Old Italian Farmhouse for All Seasons
- An Updated Cornish Longhouse
- A Composed Life: A Rarefied London Townhouse Remodel
- Swish Chalet: An Alpine Remodel by Jonathan Tuckey
Frequently asked questions
Who was the client for Tuckey Design Studio's project in Knightsbridge?
A Hong Kong businessman who wanted a bespoke alternative to hotel stays.
What did the client request for the Victorian townhouse in Knightsbridge?
The client asked that the architects transform it into 'a minimalist, monastery-like space.'
What was the inspiration for the project architects in transforming the townhouse?
The all-timber interior of Kyoto's 17th-century Katsura Imperial Villa.
What award was Tuckey Design Studio's work shortlisted for in 2024?
A Wood Award.
What material were the double-glazed windows replaced with?
Wooden sash windows.
What were some key features of the renovation in the townhouse?
Restoration of the facade, creation of shadow walls, mirrors, and the visibility of the building's height.
What type of staircase was created by Tuckey Design Studio?
A complex curving stair with a dramatic plywood enclosure stained midnight blue.
What luxury feature is present in the en suite bath of the main bedroom?
A custom-built Japanese soaking tub under a skylight.
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