Case Study

A Grade II Listed Knightsbridge Home

Designed by Thorp Design

Behind the Portland stone façade of a Grade II listed 1840s terrace in Knightsbridge, a three-storey apartment has been transformed from an anonymous rental into a richly personal London home. Its owners had held the property for many years, but when the time came to make it their own, they turned to Thorp Design with an intriguing proposition: to capture something of the spirit and familiarity of their English country estate, without simply transplanting country-house life into the city.

The resulting interiors tread that line with confidence. Traditional architectural elements have been restored and reinstated, but the mood is distinctly more metropolitan: richer, occasionally playful and grounded in exceptional craftsmanship. “We wanted the finished home to have the character and permanence of somewhere that had evolved over time,” explains the Thorp team, “rather than somewhere that felt newly decorated.”

The renovation encompassed the architecture, interiors and art curation of the apartment. Original cornicing and antique fireplaces were reinstated, the stone staircase restored, and bespoke joinery introduced throughout. Specialist makers were commissioned for everything from decorative plasterwork and hand-finished wallcoverings to mosaic flooring and verre églomisé mirrors. As Thorp puts it, “the way a piece has been made is often what adds the soul.”

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the bathrooms. Previously dark, cramped and distinctly 1980s in character, they had been designed almost entirely around practicality. Thorp instead treated them as rooms in their own right, bringing the same depth of material and considered detailing found throughout the home.

The principal bathroom is defined by a soft palette of cream and ivory, allowing its intricate detailing to come to the fore. Finely worked joinery is paired with an elaborate mosaic floor, laid by an Italian craftsman who travelled to London specifically for the commission. Delicate botanical motifs in muted greens meander across the mosaic, while polished plaster walls provide a soft, subtly textured backdrop.

Drummonds’ unlacquered brass fittings bring warmth and definition against the pale surfaces, with white china detailing adding a distinctly traditional note. The finish was a deliberate choice: rather than remaining pristine, it will gradually deepen and develop a patina through use. “We wanted materials that would transition between the more traditional architecture and fittings and the contemporary elements of the room,” the designers explain, reinforcing Thorp’s intention for the space to feel collected and lived in rather than newly installed.

Pattern and colour are introduced with a similarly measured hand. Apple-green Fortuny fabric at the window picks up the botanical greens of the mosaic below, while an Elizabeth Prince installation of ceramic-and-brass magnolia flowers appears to scatter across the wall beside the bath. Brass blooms create a quiet dialogue with the fittings, lending the room an unexpected, almost whimsical note.

Drummonds was a natural choice for a project so rooted in specialist making. Thorp’s relationship with the company stretches back to its early days as a reclamation yard, and its handmade fittings sit comfortably alongside the work of plasterers, textile houses, furniture makers, mosaic craftsmen and artists commissioned for the apartment.

Beyond the bathroom, a gentleman’s study, grand sitting room, wine cellar tucked beneath the stairs and generous guest accommodation speak to the owners’ country life and their love of collecting and entertaining, albeit with a more urbane character. Archival textiles, bespoke joinery and a significant collection of Modern British art create rooms that feel accumulated rather than prescribed, with traditional references loosened and given a different rhythm.

This sense of identity was fundamental to Thorp’s approach. The intention was never to create a particular “look”, but a home recognisably belonging to the people who live there. As Philippa Thorp reflects, “Houses become deeply intimate portraits of people’s lives. It is an enormous privilege to be trusted with that.”

The country house was never a template, but a reference point: what Thorp has carried to Knightsbridge is its sense of familiarity, generosity and permanence. The result is distinctly metropolitan, yet retains the ease and individuality of the clients’ life in the country.

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