a library in the woods

This property, originally designed by architects Austin Vernon & Partners in 1959, sits in a row of 5 houses within Dulwich Woods. Externally the property is protected and cannot be modified, but inside the house has some very distinctive mid-century features that we concentrated on revealing and reinstating. This full interior design job aimed at making the family’s large library a central aspect of the sitting room with a double layer of circulation. Vitsoe shelving was installed throughout the house, and we commissioned a local upholsterer to make a daybed for the large window seat. Additional space was added to the house by installing a central heating system hidden within the skirting boards, thus freeing up wall-space throughout.

The majority of exemplar housing in the Dulwich Estate was designed by Architects Austin Vernon & Partners in the mid 1960s, so they are interesting spaces to work with. A good review of the Dulwich Estate housing was written by the Dulwich Society.