A minimal home in West London

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the kitchen in this minimal home in West London.

The layout and glass roof reminded me of our home in London (you can see some pictures from the renovations here).

Before you ask, yes I miss it from time to time.
Then I think where we live now… so close to the beach and realize that there is no way I will move back to London and leave the ocean behind.
There is an energy there that I feel is extremely positive for our well-being. Plus we have CASA PYLA underway and soon, we will have a beautiful home to live in.

Unlike this home, we laid down a concrete floor throughout the ground floor (kitchen and lounge) instead of this pale grey terrazzo flooring. Yet, there are many things I love about this minimal home.
So let me show a few details I love about this extension designed by Al-Jawad Pike.

There is a very soothing palette used throughout the house with soft tones of white, pale grey, and natural wood.

It is something you will see also in this Belgian flat designed by Vincent Van Duysen or this beautiful home in the Swedish countryside.

Besides the fact that this home has absolutely no clutter (and it was probably photographed at the end of the project before the family settles in), there’s a reason why it feels so calming and the reason is they use colors that go together nicely and repeat them throughout the home.

By limiting the number of colors in your color palette, but use them in different ways in each space, you can create a home that flows from one room to the next. And even if the style varies a bit from one room to another, the colors connect each room.
This is especially important in homes with an open concept floor plan.

Natural wood and white is always a beautiful combination (see our natural style bedroom).

Wall-to-wall storage or custom-made bench like the one below will always create clean lines and flow. This beautiful oak bench has storage underneath which can come handy to store things you are not using often.

I also love the social side of this bench. If you have friends and family over, some can sit and chat with you with a glass of wine while you’re finishing off the dinner preparation.

Outside, the simplicity of this extension is enriched by making the parapets in brickwork and concealing all rainwater downpipes and gutters within the building envelope.

A loose, asymmetrical arrangement of natural anodized aluminum windows reinforce the sculptural quality of the building.

The stairs are one of my favorite details. I love their simple beauty and minimalism and once again, this soothing palette of natural wood and soft tones.
For budget reasons, we can not change the old stairs in CASA PYLA so my biggest challenge will be to attempt to modernize them so they blend nicely with the open-plan we are creating on the ground floor.