Case Study
RBD believe in preserving and enhancing existing period buildings wherever possible. We work closely with planning authorities, heritage bodies and estate management companies to ensure all our projects are designed and executed with the utmost sympathy to a building’s history, its character and context.
Here is an example of a recent restoration project in Central London. This beautiful Gothic style house is located in Notting Hill, within the Norland Ward Conservation Area. The house originally formed part of a vicarage and became a separate dwelling in 1863. The house was built using left over Bath stone following the construction of St John’s Church on adjacent Lansdowne Crescent. The street, Ladbroke Grove, is named after James Weller Ladbroke, who developed the Ladbroke Estate in the 1840s. It was originally a rural area on the western edges of London. Construction at the southern end by Holland Park Avenue began in the 1830s, but the road was not fully developed to Harrow Road until the 1870s. The area nearest the application site is on a hill and is predominantly residential. St John’s church is a local landmark and was built in 1845 to make the surrounding planned development of houses more desirable.
I cannot recommend Andy and the RBD team enough – absolutely fantastic. I engaged Andy on a major project for 6+ months. At all times he was super professional and knowledgeable. I was DELIGHTED with the results and will definitely use him again!
We are still early in the construction phase but we’re very pleased with the excellent design and advice we’ve received from Andy Willis so far. Our project has been complicated and unusual for various reasons and Andy has gone above and beyond in helping us. Andy has been great at steering us, drawing out what we were looking for and organising us and our priorities. Andy’s great at communicating regularly and we’ve been really pleased at his level of care and attention. We just can’t wait to see the final house, and then I’ll be back to update my review!
I employed RBD Architecture & Interiors to renovate a London townhouse into 2 apartments. Andy did a fantastic job of laying out the space in both properties resulting in both apartments achieving the full asking price in record time. His designs were clever, utilized all available space, and looked fantastic, quickly reminding me of the added value an architect can have on any property. I am currently doing another similar development in London as well as renovating a holiday home in the West Indies and using Andy for both properties was the obvious choice. I am excited to see both come to fruition. If you are looking for a smart and easy-to-work with architect who understands your brief and goes beyond that by offering intelligent solutions to any design problem, then look no further.
RBD have helped with the redesign of various parts (living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms) of our London home over recent years. We are delighted with the results – the mix of arresting vision and ‘fit for use’ practicality. We plan to continue using them in the future.
We were exceptionally pleased with the work done by RBD. They took into consideration all of our asks, came up with innovative solutions for maximizing storage, and worked extremely closely with the builders to ensure the entire process went smoothly from start to finish and that the end result was exactly what we were looking for from an aesthetic and practical perspective.
We were exceptionally pleased with the work done by RBD. They took into consideration all our asks, came up with innovative solutions for maximising storage, and worked extremely closely with the builders to ensure the entire process went smoothly from start to finish and that the end result was exactly what we were looking for from an aesthetic and practical perspective.
RBD Architecture & Interiors helped us with various works to our home including a new master suite. The service provided was excellent and their team have a real eye for detail – especially in Interior Design.
Andy and his team designed our beautiful new home combining creative design with very good ideas and the capacity to deliver on time, with great results.
We have been working with RBD for a while now during the redevelopment of our London offices. Their combined architectural and interior design capability has been particularly useful in meeting our objectives.
We used RBD Architecture & Interiors to design and manage the extensive redevelopment of our period Mews house in London. They helped us each and every step of the way including obtaining all the relevant planning consents.
RBD obtained planning consent to replace the existing non-original aluminium framed double glazed windows and main rooflight together with a new air conditioning system which is concealed from view. The new windows are of timber framed construction and have been detailed to compliment the house and its character. The glass used has acoustic properties which dramatically reduce traffic noise levels entering the property from the main road.
Following the installation of the windows, the existing Bath stone walls of the house and its original stone details were carefully restored and cleaned following years of weather erosion and pollution. This involved working closely with Ian Drummond Consulting Engineers to strengthen and reconstruction stonework which had failed in places requiring urgent attention. The success of this restoration project is down to the skill of the specialist stone mason employed, led by Paul Carter, the experience of the Principal Contractor, DM Specialist, and the specification decisions made as to how the stonework was repaired and restored.
Internally, RBD have designed and coordinated various phased works including the extensive redesign and refurbishment of the first floor level to create new master suite. This was designed to the client’s brief in a classic hotel boutique style reflecting some of the hotel interiors experienced during the client’s travels.
This phase was completed designed and managed by both our in-house architectural and interior design teams who worked closely together to cover every aspect of the client’s brief. The suite layout comprises of a large master bedroom on one side, a central bathroom ensuite and a dressing room on the opposite side with a connecting corridor.
During construction, the existing floor, ceiling and walls were levelled and re-aligned to compensate for significant historic house settlement. The new suite is fitted throughout with exquisite custom fitted joinery, bespoke doors, wall panelling and cornice details designed by RBD and produced and installed by Middleton Bespoke Joinery.
Our interior designers worked closely with the client to source a selection of stunning fabrics, marble finishes, materials, fixtures and fittings to complete the finished look. During the interior design process RBD prepared a range of mood boards, detailed drawings and interior visuals describing each exacting detail, including some original period joinery details which we were delighted to retain and celebrate.
TRANSFORMATION
