Streatley Road, London NW6

Brondesbury Park's Streatley Road is the setting for this creatively reimagined four-bedroom house, which has recently been renovated by A-Zero Architects. The result is a home that brings its outdoor spaces to the forefront: there is an internal courtyard, a paved rear garden, and a wonderful rooftop terrace with surrounding leafy views. Decoration throughout is refined and elegant, combining both contemporary and original Victorian features. It sits within easy reach of the green spaces, bars and restaurants that this area of north-west London is known and loved for.

The Architect

A-Zero Architects is a London-based practice. They are present through all stages of a project to bring together functional and sustainable architecture with the needs of the client and site. Streatley Road is a case in point: by carefully choosing what to retain, they were able to enhance the whole, creating connections across and through the space in the process.

The Tour

Streatley Road is lined with trees and handsome Victorian houses - such as this home - in equal measure. This house's blue front door is set in its refined red brick façade, at the end of a path of striking chequerboard tiles.

The ground-floor plan is centred around a series of considered and bright living spaces. From the entry porch is a long hallway that runs alongside the open-plan kitchen-dining room, which is loosely divided into two halves. The front dining space is lit by a huge tripartite bay window, complete with shutters for added privacy and a flush window seat housing additional storage. There is a warming fireplace with a white surround, flanked on either side by tall shelving and cupboards that make the most of the room's soaring ceiling heights.

Parquet flooring stretches across the entire ground floor, here ensuring continuity and flow between the front and the back of the open-plan space. The kitchen is at the rear, defined by clean shaker-style cabinetry and cool swathes of quartz countertops. A short run of beautiful patterned tiles underfoot testify to the thoughtful decorative interventions throughout the house. A cleverly considered terrace can be accessed through a glazed door from here, which doubles up as a secondary source of natural light for the space.

Down a short run of steps is the living room, a cosy yet generous space. Crittall-style glazing is a feature along two walls, looking out to the central terrace and to the garden at the rear. As a result, the room has a bright and open feel. Exposed beams add a sense of definition, and emphasise the generous proportions. Walls across the ground floor are painted in soft hues, bringing a sense of calmness throughout.

The staircase, more than just a transitional space with its original spindles and airy feel, reaches to the first floor. The main bedroom lies at the front, with almost an entire wall of original sash windows with decorative stained-glass accents. Painted a sultry blue-grey with cornicing above, the room retains a sense of refinement and opulence, enhanced further by the cast iron fireplace surround. Adjacent is a dressing room, with deep inbuilt storage, that leads onto the en suite. Decorated with crisp white tiles, it houses a walk-in shower, a claw-foot bathtub and a large sash window, again with shutters. On the other side of the first-floor plan lies a second bedroom, currently arranged as a study with a cleverly positioned internal window, allowing further natural light to permeate. Double doors from here open onto the terrace at the rear.

The top floor is home to two well-proportioned double bedrooms and a shared bathroom. All three rooms are well-lit by a mix of sash windows and skylights and are finished with the same serene palette used elsewhere. The bathroom also has a bath, cleverly nestled under the eaves.

Outdoor Space

Uniquely, Streatley Road has three distinct and varied outdoor spaces, which all face towards the south: a ground-floor courtyard, a rear garden, and a rooftop terrace. The first, the back garden, is a terraced space bordered by ivy-covered stock-brick walls to three sides. The canopy of a mature tree offers shade, beneath which the current owners have arranged a table and chairs for dining during the warmer months.

The interior terrace, also at ground-floor level, is a light-filled space. A white-painted wall bounds the perimeter, while patterned tiles add a dash of colour underfoot. A spiral staircase leads to the expansive terrace above.

The crowning glory of the house, the roof terrace, is at the rear of the first floor and is bound by smart black railings. The area is tiled with clay and has green views over neighbouring gardens. There is plenty of room for a second dining set up here and for some creatively potted plants.

The Area

Located just off Kilburn High Road with its range of handy daily amenities, Streatley Road is well-placed for access to some of north-west London's popular haunts. On the house's doorstep is the Kiln Theatre, which also has a cinema.

The buzz of the Salusbury Road is a 14-minute walk away, where there's a range of shops, cafés and restaurants, including independent Queen's Park Books, Planet Organic, Provenance Butchers, Queen's Park Books and both the Salusbury Wine Shop and The Salusbury Deli. A weekly farmers' market is located at the primary school on the same road, while the popular Alice House and Salusbury Pub are recommended for food and drinks.

West Hampstead is just 25 minutes away by foot, where there is a host of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. Local favourites include West End Lane Books and West Hampstead Greens for an eclectic mix of fruit, vegetables, preserves and exotic produce. Health Town is a health and wellbeing centre offering pilates classes in the heart of West Hampstead.

Streatley Road is well-placed for access to a number of public green spaces, including Kilburn Grange Park (3 minutes on foot), Queen's Park (16 minutes on foot), and Regent's Park, a 25-minute bus journey away.

Transport links are excellent, with Overground services running from Brondesbury (a 6-minute walk away) towards Stratford in one direction and Clapham Junction and Richmond in the other. The Underground at Kilburn, 10 minutes on foot from the house, runs the Jubilee Line, connecting the west of London to the east. The area is also well-served by several bus routes.

Council Tax Band: F