Gush Design has reinstated the period grandeur of this Mayfair mansion, creating a home that combines elegance and comfort with a hint of playfulness

‘The sensitive restoration of a property of this size actually involves more work than rebuilding the entire house,’ reveals Paul Broadley of Gush Design, who took on the daunting task of creating a new interior for this Edwardian mansion in Mayfair.

‘The townhouse had lost its period charm over the years and the original proportions had been broken up to create a warren of nameless rooms,’ he says. ‘At the same time, incongruous additions had diluted the character: the result was soulless. We were brought in to restore the grandeur and create a home that fused elegance with comfort.’

It was a complicated brief. The client wanted a venue for entertaining on a grand scale and for the home to have ‘an ambiance of tradition’. The scheme also had to accommodate the owner’s love of contemporary art and ‘on a totally practical level, the accommodation had to incorporate a substantial home office and provision for large-scale business meetings,’ Broadley explains.

Although its exterior is protected by virtue of being in a conservation area, the house is not listed. This was a big advantage, giving the Gush team the flexibility to bring the home’s interior services up to modern standards — although this was no small job.

‘Essentially, the house was gutted,’ says Broadley. ‘We stripped everything back to the bare shell and then started installing all the mechanical and electrical systems that you would expect of a 21st century home. We included 5km of data cabling, audio-visual connectivity to all rooms, air conditioning and exceptionally powerful heating and hot water supply systems, which had to supply more than 1,068m2 of accommodation.’

Another key task was to maximize the natural light and create a free-flowing space. When Gush discovered that the entire roof needed to be replaced, the team used the opportunity to add a walk-on glazed skylight to flood the heart of the house with light. Many floor joists were replaced and sound and heat insulation was added before laying down new oak parquet flooring throughout. Most of the walls were replastered, the windows completely reconditioned and fire-rated doors installed. The new layout now incorporates a central staircase, with well-proportioned rooms to the front and the rear. The reception rooms occupy the ground and first floors, the bedroom suites and a full-height-glazed library are on the upper floors while the staff accommodation and catering facilities are situated in the basement.

But this was just the groundwork for the bigger challenge of restoring the house’s period charm. The starting point was to review the existing architectural elements. ‘This included the magnificent oak staircase with its wonderful patina of age, the fireplaces—those that were not original were supplied by Chesney’s— and the decorative plasterwork, cornicing and mouldings,’ says Broadley. ‘The rest was a blank canvas. We reintroduced mahogany wall panelling to the dining room and added hand-painted paneling to the entrance hall and many of the bedrooms and bathrooms.’

Gush has filled the property with show-stopping features, all classically beautiful yet playful—a look achieved by over sizing, stylizing or reinventing traditional elements. The large, red, button-back sofas in the main reception room were designed by Gush, built by Beltrami Designs and upholstered in Fox Linton velvet. These sit on a chequer board floor of black-and-white oak parquet by Campbell &Young, which is reflected on the antique glass cladding on the walls by Chelsea Glass.

Another key feature is the 8m chandelier—one of the largest in a private London home—suspended in the stairwell. Gush worked with Rainbow Lighting on the design, which was manufactured in Venice and shipped in three sections. It contains 1,000 hand made drops of a unique smoked-bronze glass and took a team of four more than eight hours to hang.

The hand-painted fresco on the library ceiling, restored to its former glory by Angel Interiors, makes a unique statement when combined with the client’s contemporary art collection. Gush and designer Jona Hoad even created a unique artwork for the project.

A cutout of a world map was layered on to a sheet of Perspex that matches the wall’s paint finish (Rum Caramel 3 from Dulux) and then backlit. ARA Halo lighting from the London Lighting Company bookends the piece.

Gush spent 12months on the project, ending on time and to budget. ‘Everyone was really committed to the restoration and took pride in bringing the house back to life. The client now has a home that, while grand, is very much their own and is comfortable as well as beautiful.’

Glass act

The 8mchandelier is made of 1,000 hand made bronze-glass drops and took four people more than eight hours to hang.

Nice work

The large study contains bespoke desks by Concept& Design. The room also contains an artwork by Peter Androsch.

Picture perfect

The library ceiling was restored by specialist decorator Angel Interiors. Gush Design and Jona Hoad collaborated on the map.

Gilt trip

One of the guest shower rooms has gold mirrors from Looking Glass of Bath plus sinks and taps by Lefroy Brooks.

Bold statements

Exaggerated forms, including this cabinet created by Gush Design, appear through out the property.

This article was first published in idFX Magazine.