Abercorn Place by Paolo Cossu Architects and MB Design Studio

Abercorn Place is a minimalist residence located in London, England, designed by Paolo Cossu Architects in collaboration with MB Design Studio. The project occupies the two top floors of a Victorian terraced house in St Johns’s Wood, London. The home was converted into three apartments in the late 70’s and stripped of most of its original features.

The three bedroom apartment was characterized by a cacophony of ceiling levels, door sizes, wall finishes, and window styles. The project’s brief called for a contemporary interior unifying the space and integrating the existing remaining Victorian features with an uncompromising modern intervention. The design approach was to create a luxurious interior using a limited sober material and finishes palette and to work with light to create a cohesive character rich in contrast.

The natural materials used, which include stone, marble, and wood, are characterized by different surface finishes. Their juxtaposition and interaction between them along with natural and artificial light creates a very rich and abstract interior. Connection between the different rooms and floors, and a sense of open plan is achieved by the doors disappearing into the walls, and by creating long vistas across the different zones.