Catherine Place I, London SW1E

This light-filled three-bedroom, two-storey maisonette occupies the ground and lower-ground floors of an elegant Georgian revival terrace on Catherine Place in Westminster. Formed of careful details and tactile materials, the home comprises a series of flexible and comfortable spaces within a period framework. Only five minutes’ walk from Victoria Station, the street is quietly tucked into the heart of the city with excellent transport links.



The Building



Architecture practice Mary Thum Associates developed 33 Catherine Place in 1998 by modernising its five floors of offices. This project included transforming the ground floor and lower-ground floor into the practice’s own design studio, with the addition of a glass-roofed extension out to the boundary at the rear. Ian O’Brien Studio was later chosen as architect for the conversion of the building to four apartments: three one-bed units and a two/three-bed maisonette within the space previously occupied by the MTA studio.



The design of these apartments recalls many of the trademarks of MTA’s architectural projects, including the employment of movable dividers to create multi-use spaces and the mitred-plywood corner detail characteristic of the practice’s home-office range of furniture.



The Tour



The building’s smart red-brick façade is part of a well-preserved Georgian revival terrace within the Birdcage Walk Conservation District. The terrace, which dates from about 1915, encloses three sides of a private courtyard. The building is in an inner corner of the ensemble and is entered via a communal entrance under an archway.



Entry to the apartment is from a ground-floor door in the communal entrance hall; this opens to a cloakroom area, where the attention to detail and materiality is made immediately apparent.



At the far end is a generous open-plan living space illuminated by a sloping glass roof. The opposite end is delineated by two free-standing oak-veneered wardrobe units with paprika laminate interiors. When left open, the wardrobe doors allow a feeling of openness with the room they conceal, which is presently used as a study; when shut, they create a privacy that lends the room well to be used as an additional bedroom. The apartment's environment is well-controlled by underfloor heating, a water softener and air conditioning.



The entrance hall also leads to an airy shower room with a translucent glass panel wall that borrows natural light from the roof-lit space beyond. The walls and floors here are finished with 'Contrafalda Gold' large-format porcelain tile by Stone Project. Polished chrome fittings are by Bauhaus/Crosswater, and the wall behind smart chrome towel rails is heated.



Softly lit by the expansive glazed roof, the sitting room is a calm space. Engineered oak floorboards from the Natural Wood Floor Company run across both levels and wrap the steel-framed staircase that leads down to the kitchen. On the descent, the dining room's painted wood joinery - used to form open shelving, a desk space and larger cupboards behind sliding doors - comes into view.



A masterclass in minimalist design, the galley kitchen looks onto the dining area and has ivory handleless cabinets from Trend Kitchens with Caesarstone engineered quartz counters and backsplash. A ceramic induction hob, built-in oven, separate microwave/conventional oven, dishwasher and full-size fridge freezer from Siemens and a Bosch dishwasher are all integrated. A Reginox stainless-steel sink is complemented by a Hansgrohe pull-out tap.



Beyond is a corridor that leads to two light-well-lit generous bedrooms, both with porcelain tiled floors and bespoke wardrobes in book-matched American white-oak veneer exteriors and paprika interiors. One has an en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower.



The shared bathroom is also on this level and has a shower over an enamelled pressed-steel bath from Bette. Both bathrooms are finished with Contrafalda textured ceramic tiles from Stone Projects and have a heated wall for ambient heating and towel warming. A cupboard in the corridor contains a Siemens washer and tumble dryer.



The Area



Despite its decidedly central London location, Catherine Place is a quiet residential street within Westminster and the Birdcage Walk Conservation District. It feels far from the city centre, yet affords easy access to Mayfair, the West End and St James’s. Also close by are the residential townhouses of Pimlico and Belgravia and a vast array of shops, restaurants and cultural institutions.



As far as greenery is concerned, the apartment is moments from St James’s and Green Parks and the River.



Victoria Station, with main-line connections to the Southeast and the Victoria, District and Circle Underground lines, is five minutes’ walk away.



Tenure: Share of Freehold | Length of lease: Approx. 117 years remaining | Service Charge: Approx. £6,750 per annum | Ground Rent: None | Council Tax Band: G