Sculptural calm: designing a refuge from a busy life

Some homes are designed to impress. The best ones are designed to restore.

Our recently completed Pimlico House, in South West London, began with a brief that many of us will recognise. Our clients are a busy, frequently travelling couple. They wanted a home that felt warm and comfortable, and that worked hard day to day. What they had was a tired townhouse with a cold drawing room, a dark entrance hall and a rear kitchen looking onto unattractive neighbouring views. They also needed two dedicated home offices, his and hers, to support flexible working.

For us, calm was the starting point rather than a finishing touch. It isn’t something you add with a neutral palette and a few cushions. It comes from architecture, light and proportion, and from the discipline of deciding what each space is for.

Starting with the shell

Before any furniture or finishes, we focused on the fabric of the building. Single-glazed windows gave way to high-performance double glazing, for both the sashes and the french windows, which improved comfort and quietened the house. New cornices and wall panelling then gave the rooms a more refined architectural backdrop. The aim was to respect the period character of the house while allowing it to sit comfortably with contemporary living. The panelling and detailing give each room a sculpted quality, with shadow, depth and rhythm that make a space feel considered rather than decorated.

Bringing light into the heart of the house

The entrance hall was dark, which set a heavy tone from the moment you stepped inside. We removed a section of wall and replaced it with a fire-rated Crittall-style screen. Daylight now travels deep into the centre of the house, while the fire safety requirements are still met. It is a small intervention with a big effect. The hall now feels open and welcoming, and the house feels connected rather than divided into separate boxes.

Turning a weakness into a feature

The kitchen at the rear had a window with a non-inspiring view. Rather than fight it, we reimagined the space as with the potential to create an open-plan kitchen and dining area built for entertaining or to be able to close of each space separately. A bespoke shelving system now sits in front of the window. It kept the light and openness, whilst giving the room a sculptural focal point.

Space as luxury

In central London, generous space is rare. We connected the drawing room to the husband’s study, which made the whole area feel larger and gave the house a sense of luxury that doesn’t depend on ostentation. Elsewhere, we chose contemporary furniture for comfort and longevity, and used voile curtains to soften the daylight and provide privacy without losing brightness. Every floor also gained a new bathroom, and the whole house was updated with modern technology and infrastructure, so the practical side runs quietly in the background.

What calm really means?

When you spend your working life moving between cities, home needs to do something different. It needs to be a place where you can exhale. The result at this project is a confident, quietly luxurious home that blends old and new. Every space feels purposeful, welcoming, and calm, offering a sanctuary from the demands of travel while supporting both work and entertaining with equal ease.

For us, that is the real test of good design. Beautiful photographs matter, but what matters more is how a home feels at the end of a long week.

Our clients put it better than we can: ‘the project was managed professionally, and, crucially came in on budget’. As a studio, we’re proud of that as much as the finished interiors.

Photography by Pierce Scourfield.

You can see more of the project at https://www.hodgkinsondesign.co.uk/pimlicohouse

If you’re thinking about transforming a London home, or planning a move to the city and want a team to guide you through it, we’d be glad to talk.