On the banks of the Thames, this grand redbrick house dating back to the late Georgian or early Victorian period was once a public house, The Fisherman’s Retreat, known locally as The Barge Pole. Later converted into an inn and a hotel, it was an important refreshment stop for fishermen and boaters.
We refurbished the entire house in a modernist Parisian style, in keeping with the client’s tastes, incorporating a monochromatic colour palette throughout. On the ground floor, we installed a lightweight glass extension providing views of the garden. The open-plan space can be divided into three key areas, with floor-to-ceiling glass partitions sliding out of a central, multifunctional black-clad box.
The imposing kitchen island doubles up as a banquette seat for the dining table, with the rest of the kitchen concealed behind full-height doors that bifold into pockets. Perched on the original garden wall, the contemporary extension has a large roof light running through it, with exposed joists creating an interplay of light and shadows.
In the formal reception room at the opposite end of the property, we reintroduced period mouldings, large skirting boards and cornicing, while bespoke joinery and panelling bring a contemporary sensibility to the interiors. A coherent aesthetic runs through the space, with soft white oiled oak against dark-stained oak continuing the colour palette into the upper floors.
Upstairs, we vaulted the ceiling of the master suite to expose the historic timbers of the original roof structure, creating a sense of height; simple pendant lights drop from the beams. Passing through the oak reveals into the bathroom, finished in seamless microcement, is a bespoke sink and dressing table. A window seat overlooks the river, linking the house to the Thames.
We created an additional en-suite bedroom from the existing roof space, without altering the silhouette of the house. It is reached by a sinuous spiral staircase, made of stacked CNC-cut plywood to appear as though it is carved out of a single piece of wood, or stone.
The history of the building is legible in the materiality of the bricks: red on the outside, and painted white in the interiors, creating a sense of continuity. The refined porcelain paving extends out into the garden, so that it feels like an additional room.
