A short walk north of Holland Park lies Avondale Park, the foliage-filled setting for this exquisite detached contemporary home. It was the recipient of the Sunday Times Interior Design Award and was built to a design by the award-winning architects Powell Tuck Associates. On the site of a former Victorian hall within the park’s curtilage, the architects and owners have created a light-filled home of playful volume and versatile arrangement, insulated by private evergreen gardens front and back and with gated off-street parking. Internally, it exceeds 3,200 sq ft and is currently arranged as a three-bedroom home with an office, a gym and a recording studio.

The Tour

A set of grand electric cast-iron gates open from Walmer Road, in the south-west corner of the park, to a cobbled driveway, revealing an imposing façade of London stock brick, stealthy glazing and cedar brise soleil. The house is set far back from the quiet residential street behind a beautifully designed front garden that rests beneath the canopy of a towering London plane tree.

A walkway leads to the centre of the plan, where the house is entered via a glazed hallway. A single step down leads through to a stunning open-plan living space lit by three aspects of glazing. To the left is the living space, intimately arranged around an open fireplace, and beyond it, a soaring double-height void offers views from the galleried main suite above.

Enormous sliding glazed doors open to the front garden, and high-set glazing above an exposed brick wall frames a tree-filled view to the north. In the opposite corner, subtly concealed behind a pivot door, is an office space with its own sliding glass to the garden and beautifully crafted oak joinery forming a bespoke desk and shelving unit along one wall.

The dining room and kitchen are set to the rear of the house. Custom cabinetry spans the southern wall, continuing into a hidden larder at one end. The rich grain of oak is paired with stainless-steel worktops, a black mosaic backsplash and the uplifting punctuation of high-level yellow cabinetry. Large format concrete tiles span the floor, and underfloor heating is present throughout the house.

At the rear, full-height glazed sliding doors lead onto a paved garden which has been beautifully planted around its borders to provide a superb sense of containment and privacy.

Across the glazed floor of the entrance hall lies a guest WC, its wall echoing the upper cabinetry of the kitchen with deep yellow mosaic tiling.  The staircase to the upper and lower levels is accessed here. It is made with Dinesen Douglas Fir, which is used throughout the remainder of the house and is flooded with light from glazed sections of wall at various levels.

The lower ground level is a delightful surprise, with enormous ceiling heights and natural light from sections of glazed floors above. There are two rooms on this level; one currently used as a gym and media room with integrated speakers, a projector and an electric viewing screen, the other, as a recording studio and office. The latter room has an en suite shower room and, owing to the presence of MVHR throughout the house, could readily be used as a fourth bedroom. There is also a utility room on this level, situated between the two rooms, and a plant/boiler room.

The first floor is given entirely to the main suite. Here, the bedroom area is orientated to benefit from south-westerly light and views over Avondale Park through a massive glazed wall. Built-in cabinetry lines the opposite wall and leads to the large en suite bath and shower room.

Rising to the second floor, a wide landing provides plenty of storage and leads to two further bedrooms. The larger of the two has a walk-in wardrobe, the other, built-in cabinetry. A shower room at the end of the landing serves the two.

The Area

The house is situated on Walmer Road in the south-east corner of Avondale Park. Access to the park is moments from the front gates. It’s made up of formal gardens, sporting greens, a cafe and what is considered Britain’s first floral lawn, designed to provide biodiversity for the immediate area. Green spaces are aplenty in the area;  Holland Park, one of London’s finest, is a short walk to the south with tennis courts and a Japanese garden. Kensington Gardens are a slightly longer walk west and are home to the Serpentine Galleries and the James Pennethorne-designed Italian Gardens of Hyde Park.

The house is also brilliantly positioned for easy reach of the shops, restaurants and markets of Portobello Road, Golborne Road and Westbourne Grove. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in nearby Notting Hill, including the two Michelin-starred Ledbury,  three Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth, and Ottolenghi. The Electric Cinema, The Gate Theatre and Electric House are all within walking distance.

Just around the corner from the house, Portland Road meets Clarendon Cross and transforms into a pedestrianised street. Here, a parade of shops and restaurants is clustered around mature olive trees. Florists, interior designers, cafes, galleries, clothing shops and ceramicists populate this villagey corner of the neighbourhood, as well as the newly revamped Julie’s Restaurant and Champagne Bar. Six Portland Road is of particular note, a local restaurant specialising in low-intervention wines and modern European cuisine.

The wider area hosts many excellent restaurants, such as the two Michelin-starred Ledbury and three Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth and Ottolenghi, between Portobello Road Market and the many offerings of Notting Hill to the east. The conveniences of Westfield London are also close at hand, and Soho House members’ club, White House City, is a short walk away from the house.

Holland Park underground station is nearby for fast links to central London. There is excellent access to the M4, the A4 and A40, providing quick access to Heathrow Airport by car. Paddington Station is also nearby for the Heathrow Express, services to the west of England, and the now-operational Crossrail.

Council Tax Band: H

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.