Strike the perfect work-play balance with this amazing mews property that has a separate office space in Notting Hill
Walking down Ledbury Road, you’re flanked by the ice cream-coloured terraces and petite boutiques that make Notting Hill one of the most desirable and picturesque residential spots in London.
As the heavy black walls of The Ledbury restaurant approach, like a high-security compound for Michelin-starred food, you could be forgiven for missing Powis Mews, a cosy, cobbled affair directly opposite.
Historically used as stables for large households, mews properties have soared in popularity in recent years, coveted for their quiet demeanour in central locations and flexible interiors. If you’ve got the right design know-how and enough imagination, you can really turn these property also-rans into the stars of the street.
One couple who’ve done just that are the Lovegroves, an acclaimed design duo who bought this mews 30 years ago. Polish-born architect Miska Miller and designer Ross Lovegrove converted this concrete and steel warehouse into a family home, by digging down into the basement – the extension du jour in these parts – then building on top of it to create an enormous studio-cum-lateral apartment spanning approximately 5,200sqft.
Half architectural practice, half family home, the two parts have separate entrances to avoid a work-life clash. “For the area, it’s completely unique,” says Miles Meacock from selling agent Strutt & Parker. “I’ve been working here for 18 years and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
If you live or work near Centre Point in Soho, however, you might have seen something a bit like it. The Modernist architect behind that brutalist landmark, George Marsh, designed this industrial building in the 50s when the area was still up-and-coming.
When the Lovegroves got hold of it, they saw it as the perfect canvas/workshop to live among their creative endeavours. Walking into the architectural practice today is like walking into a toy shop designed by Steve Jobs. Sparsely decorated, shelf-upon-shelf is stacked with arty bric-a-brac, from dinosaur skulls to a single jelly sandal.
A huge black and white plastic staircase leads down to the floor below, where a series of Macs are lined up alongside 3D printed clutter. The house is such a fashionista’s fantasy that it was featured in Vogue back in 1995. “Putting in a staircase took a lot of nerve,” Miska explains, “and a week of power drilling – the original house was designed with walls and floors a foot thick”.
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The new owner can either transplant their own employees into the “work” half of the property, re-model it as a studio or convert it into residential and bask in cavernous living quarters. It’s also on the market freehold, which means no costly service charges to pay.
The “home” portion of the property is utilitarian and clutter-free, filled with one-off furnishings and protoypes. There are kitchen units and bath panels made from aircraft-flooring in honey-combed fibreglass, wide oak floorboards, and a moulded carbon-fibre sink. There’s also a drive-in interior garage on the ground floor, which is being used to house a large sculpture.
On the top floor, there’s a modest terrace, with space for a table and chairs and a few plant pots, which has clear views of a glass studio to the right that used to house David Hockney before he moved to Los Angeles.
With no listing to speak of and largely commercial neighbours, this home in Powis Mews is a blank canvas just crying out for an artist to reinvent it for the modern age.
Powis Mews is on sale for £9.95m with Strutt & Parker Notting Hill. Call 020 7221 1111 or email [email protected]
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