Frtihville Gardens, London W12

Positioned on a quiet road in the heart of Shepherd’s Bush, this four-bedroom Victorian townhouse has a complex cantilevered extension, envisioned by architect Iona Foster, and celebrates concrete in its raw materiality. Light wells are dotted throughout the space, which extends over 2,300 sq ft and includes a terrace as well as a secluded garden and an interior-to-exterior pond. As well as being close to several transport links, the house is perfectly placed to explore some of west London's best-loved spots on foot, including Notting Hill and Hammersmith.

The Architect

Architect Iona Foster cut her teeth working for Allies and Morrison, where she was involved in the refurbishment of the iconic 1960s Royal Festival Hall building. In her own practice, she foregrounds sustainability and has recently built a zero-energy house in rural Oxfordshire. On Frithville Gardens, Iona has said that “the concrete frame insertion is a meticulous thesis of concrete, brickwork and glass interpreted through the design of a family home.”

The Tour

The house is set back behind a traditional cast-iron gate, with a façade made from London stock brick. From here is a welcoming front garden with a fruiting olive tree and the front door, which is flanked by ionic columns. While the hallway and living room have retained their original features, what unfolds beyond is firmly rooted in modernity.

The living room is an airy space with tall, intricate cornice-adorned ceilings and twin sash windows in a broad bay at the front. An original cast-iron fireplace with floral tiles and a marble surround provides a striking focal point. Removing doors between the ground-floor living spaces ensures a sight line from the front to the rear of the house, marrying old and new in the process.

Located in the middle of the ground floor, the vibrant kitchen takes a striking trio-colour palette of pinkish-red, orange and white. Seamless cabinetry is a pared-back counterpoint and is finished with a Green Sea granite worktop and integrated appliances.

Perhaps the house's most striking feature is a floating wall with a light installation designed by Christopher Knowlton, CEO of the International Association of Lighting Designers. In one corner is an internal pond that continues into the external terrace area, blurring the threshold between inside and out. Though designed with a distinctly sculptural edge, the space has been created to effortlessly cater to day-to-day needs. A neat WC completes the ground-floor plan, which also features a high-spec fire safety sprinkler system.

From the first floor, cast iron stairs ascend to an office; part of the way up is a tall window that overlooks the dining room below and draws light into the space.  A further testament to the house's interconnected configuration, a light well here illuminates the dining room below. Tall panels of bespoke glazing cast the eye upwards and out to an uninterrupted view of the sky. The main bedroom also sits on this floor and has a walk-in wardrobe as well as an en suite with a freestanding bath and walk-in rainfall shower.

The second floor has two well-proportioned double bedrooms and a bright family bathroom with a freestanding bath. The third floor is given over entirely to a generous bedroom with an en suite. A door from the bedroom pens to the roof terrace, which has far-reaching views across west London. There is a generous provision of storage dotted across the house, including in a first-floor cloakroom and the eaves space at the top of the building.

Outside Space

There are outdoor spaces on various levels to enjoy the house's rear south-westerly aspect. On the ground floor, concertina doors open fully onto the slate-paved garden. Slatted wooden fencing runs along the top of the brick wall perimeter, ensuring the utmost privacy. The external part of the pond that bridges inside and out is found here and is currently filled with goldfish.

A generous roof terrace crowns the top of the house, establishing brilliantly elevated views as well as space for a table and chair set-up, if desired.

The Area

Frithville Gardens is moments from lively Shepherd’s Bush Market and the specialist baristas at Electric Coffee. Grassroots music venue Bush Hall is close by, as is the renowned Bush Theatre. One of London’s original gastropubs, The Anglesea Arms, is a 20-minute stroll away. The shops, restaurants and bars of Shepherd’s Bush Green are at the end of the street and Westfield shopping centre is under a 10-minute walk away.

T are excellent restaurants in the revamped iconic Television Centre including Kricket and Soho House members’ club, White City House. White City Place, a creative campus with restaurants, shops and museums, and the new home of the Royal College of Art's Schools of Communication, Humanities, and Architecture, is also nearby. By way of green spaces, Ravenscourt Park, with its lake and tennis courts, is 22 minutes from the house on foot. Riverside walks are around a 35-minute amble away.

There are plenty of public transport links nearby. Shepherds Bush Market Underground Station is a 3-minute walk from the house and is served by the Hammersmith and City and Circle line, while Shepherd’s Bush runs Central Line, London Overground and Southern Rail services. For road transport, there are quick links to the A40 and M4 west. Heathrow can be reached in under 30 minutes by car.

Council Tax Band: G