PRESS RELEASE: Exclusive new Kensington townhouse is a first for Conran

An historic Victorian timber yard in the heart of Kensington has been transformed into a luxurious Conran-designed four-bedroomed townhouse. Few developers would build a modern three-storey townhouse in the heart of Kensington, most preferring flats, but that’s just what Stonehurst Estates and Conran & Partners have done in Kensington Church Street . The result is the first significant single new-build home by Conran in the UK , big enough for a large family to live in comfort and style, close to both Kensington Gardens and Holland Park . The house, with a market valuation of between £3 million and £4 million, is currently being offered for rent at £3,000 per week.

For Stonehurst Estates, one of London’s most imaginative developers, the design challenges of the compact site represent a continuation of the company’s distinguished track record converting churches, fire stations and mansion houses across the capital. For Conran & Partners – famous for redrawing the skyline of cities from Tokyo to Manchester – it was a chance to bring the company’s celebrated design flair to a small-scale, but prestigious and innovative project.

Stonehurst Estates has also commissioned Conran & Partners to design a 20-storey glass and steel residential tower in the heart of Manchester , which is currently being built, and draw up plans for the redevelopment of Greenwich Pier to create restaurants, a new cruise terminal and public space in time for the 2012 London Olympics. Simon Briggs, managing director of Stonehurst Estates, said:

“The timber yard was a difficult proposition, it require a great deal of imagination to build something that would fit into the Kensington Palace Conservation Area. Conran’s designs have allowed us to build a discreet, very attractive contemporary home in a very desirable area of London .”

The L-shaped 230 sq m (2,475 sq ft) house is on three levels surrounding an inner courtyard. A drive-through archway leads from Kensington Church Street into the courtyard which is decorated with a four metre fountain cascading down one wall. Car-parking is on a remote-controlled turntable, which swings cars round to face the exit, eliminating three point turns in the courtyard. High quality, natural materials used include beautiful copper cladding on the walls and roof, which will age gracefully. Etched glass in the windows complements the copper walls.

The huge 50 sq m (540 sq ft) living area has 3.6 metre high ceilings with enormous fully sliding glass doors (2.5m x 2.5m) opening out on to the courtyard. Surrounding this on two sides are the bedrooms, all en-suite, walk through dressing room, utility rooms and study. Solid oak floors, imaginative use of lightwells and portholes to maximise light and contemporary stairs, ironwork and glass balustrades all reflect the attention to detail and luxurious design. Conran & Partners director

Paul Zara said:

“This was both a challenging and inspiring project, giving us the opportunity to use the best materials in creating our first new-build house in London. Stonehurst Estates is a forward-thinking developer who gave us free rein to design a house we are all very proud of. They felt a single dwelling, rather than flats, would be the most appropriate solution to the site and they were right. It’s a one-off, individually-designed home, with some beautiful touches.”

For all enquiries about 146 Kensington Church Street, please contact Paul Zara, Director, Conran & Partners: cp@conranandpartners.com

November 2006

Kensington Church Street
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