Ian and Natalie Cosier were first attracted to The Old Nursery by its location – and the fact that it was in such a terrible state of repair. ‘It was a former children’s nursery that closed about six months before we saw it,’ says Ian, 45, a consultant. ‘The main building was a Victorian billiard hall that had been used as a classroom. There was a modern dining hall and the garden was wild and overgrown. It had children’s toilets and no actual bathroom but we felt we could make something of it.’
The site, in Twickenham, South-West London, sits on a large plot that used to be an orchard and allotment and is shielded by high stone walls, which date to the 18th Century. It backs on to a tiny, cobbled side street, a stone’s-throw from the Thames.
Regulations restricted new development to a single storey, so the couple used the best elements of the original building as a base for creating a fabulous, contemporary home. They kept the billiards hall but demolished the dining hall and added several new single-storey extensions, to create an elongated, flat-roofed design.
The site, in Twickenham, South-West London, sits on a large plot that used to be an orchard and allotment and is shielded by high stone walls
They also added a basement that mirrors the size of the main first-floor. ‘When we were digging out the basement, we had to be monitored by archaeologists. They found clay pipes, and the bones of animals from the 1800s,’ says Ian.
The design of The Old Nursery seamlessly bridges contemporary and historic style. ‘We wanted a house with heart and soul, not a developed box,’ says Ian.
The old billiards hall has been transformed into a beautiful lounge, with its original features unmasked. Ian says: ‘The brick fireplace was boarded up and the unusual lantern window was covered and fitted with wired safety glass. It’s a beautiful feature.’
They added six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a cinema room on the lower level. A toughened glass floor panel allows light from upstairs into the basement.
Much of the house is open-plan, with the focal point being the large and glamorous kitchen and dining room that opens out on to the garden via bi-fold doors. Vehicular access is awkward, so they’ve added a Bond-style car turntable on the drive.
The house has proved a popular location for TV and photoshoots. Celebrity visitors have included chef Heston Blumenthal; musician Nick Cave, who filmed parts of his movie 20,000 Days On Earth there, and Gary Lineker. ‘I think he was making one of his crisp adverts,’ Ian says.
London: £2.999M
Bedrooms: 5
Unique features: Modern house with large basement extension based around a Victorian billiard hall featuring ornamental lantern window and original brick fireplace; huge open-plan kitchen/dining space with wine room and direct garden access; cinema room; gym; four bathrooms; lower-level garden area with second terrace; car turntable and separate garage.
The spacious open planned kitchen in the Old Nursery in Twickenham, London
Contact: Knight Frank, knightfrank.co.uk, 020 8939 2800
Four more pads with an educational angle
East Yorkshire: £125,000
Bedrooms: 1
Unique features: Grade II listed former Sunday school building in the village of Asselby, near Howden; arched windows; stone floors; timber beams; wood-burning stove; no chain.
Contact: Purple Bricks, purplebricks.co.uk, info@purplebricks.com
Derbyshire: £500,000
Bedrooms: 3
Unique features: Restored Grade II listed Victorian school, built for Alkmonton village on the edge of the Peak District; working school clock and bell tower; vaulted ceiling and clock gallery in the lounge; TV room that was the schoolmaster’s office, with original fireplace; modern conservatory.
Contact: Fine & Country, fineandcountry.com, 01332 973881
North Yorkshire: £650,000
Bedrooms: 4
Unique features: Grade II listed school house in the village of East Rounton, near Northallerton; four reception rooms; conservatory; double garage and stables; gated entrance; large gardens and paddock.
Contact: Purple Bricks, purplebricks.co.uk, info@purplebricks.com
Norfolk: £800,000
Bedrooms: 4
Unique features: Victorian schoolhouse in the village of East Walton, near King’s Lynn; arched neo-Gothic windows, vaulted ceilings and fireplaces; arched doorways; mezzanine gallery overlooking an open-plan living space; six acres of grounds include grass tennis court and stables.
Contact: Sowerbys, sowerbys.com, 01553 766741
Get the look, with the help of interior designer SOPHIE ROBINSON
Our love of luxe interiors continues, and everything and anything marble is one element that has become well established. No longer a material exclusive to high-end interiors, marble designs are now featuring on printed wallpapers, textiles and plastics, making the look far more affordable and accessible. You can still buy a slab of the real thing too, and it’s a great choice for surfaces such as kitchen worktops and coffee tables. Marble is a lovely way to update an existing neutral scheme and give it a touch of tactile luxe – or you can be more fully committed and invest in a whole feature wall of the subtle but sexy print.
Team it with gold accessories and velvet furnishings and you’ll have a room that looks a million dollars.
Handcrafted marble shelf in blush, £70, coxandcox.co.uk
Stacked Geo taper holder, £48, anthropologie.com
Marbelle chrome floor lamp with yellow shade, £133, habitat.co.uk
Blush-pink layers of rose gold and marble cushion cover, £16.71, redbubble.com
Koziel white grey marble wallpaper, £42 per roll, rockett stgeorge.co.uk
Marble love typography framed poster, £25, cultfurniture.com
Stone table light, £195, tomdixon. net
Marbled stone dust cheese knives, £24, oliverbonas.com
Set of four mixed marble coasters, £40, oliverbonas.com
Omara black marble coffee table, £695, habitat.co.uk
Marble effect pillowcase, from £17.99, zarahome.com
How to… declutter your kitchen
For a sleek, minimalist kitchen you need to banish surface clutter from your work tops. Ditch your kettle for a hot water tap and create vertical storage to stop jars from hogging the counter. This brass and wood shelf, £90 from rockettstgeorge.co.uk is the perfect spot for your tea bags and biscuit tin.
If detritus is overwhelming your kitchen/diner, put a central storage unit between the two. Creating zones makes a space feel more organised. Try a kitchen island with built-in cupboards or a tall shelving unit like this movable room divider (£290 from vivalagoon.com).
An appliance cabinet will leave your counter tops blissfully clear. Convert an existing larder cupboard (cotswoldco.com have a nice one for £999), or a carpenter can make you one from scratch. Make sure electrical sockets are fitted inside, too, and you can use it to keep day-to-day items such as your microwave and blender out of sight.
The post Homes in old schools, including this neat nursery conversion appeared first on Article Pub.
from WordPress https://ift.tt/2LYbP6J
No comments:
Post a Comment