Marylebone Apartment by Proctor and Shaw

Marylebone is known for being a typically fashionable neighbourhood in London. It may then come as no surprise this two-bedroom apartment refurbished by Proctor & Shaw is located within a Marylebone period building, with an equally distinguished atmosphere. 

Proctor & Shaw have made the most of every inch of the modest footprint, where every unnecessary detail has been avoided. Dressed from head to toe in Dinesen Douglas, the Marylebone Apartment is a soothing place to call home; a tapestry of innovative ideas, minimalist thinking and timber-centred craftsmanship. 

Building damage sustained in the second world war had made way for a concrete structural framework introduced in the 1950s. This gave Proctor & Shaw a unique opportunity to completely reconfigure the apartment and move non-load-bearing internal walls, creating two double bedrooms each with ensuites. It also gave breathing space to the open plan kitchen, dining and living space – a request of the homeowner.  

Out of respect for the building’s heritage and to the homeowner’s wishes, Proctor & Shaw’s material palette is restrained. Dinesen Douglas takes precedence, covering the walls; concealing flush finished framed doors, as well as space for kitchen storage and appliances. The Dinesen Douglas provides warmth and subtle texture to the entire apartment, punctuated by the strong black accents such as the kitchen fixtures and cabinetry.

Proctor & Shaw director Mike Shaw says the characterful grain and warm colour hues of Dinesen Douglas timber offers a layer of visual interest that can subtly enhance otherwise simple architectural spaces. “On this project, we were also able to use to our advantage the fact that Dinesen can supply various solid timber profiles matching their floor products,” Mike says. “This suited our intention to bring a crafted approach to the design, constructing fixed furniture items that perfectly reflected the floor finish”. 

The apartment’s bedrooms with ensuites are cleverly located behind the finely-detailed, full-height timber profiled screen wall that runs the full length of the apartment. The bedrooms follow the grey palette of the ensuites, while featuring a custom Dinesen Douglas bedhead. 

This London apartment is embrued with a new-age stamp of British design quality. Where working with wood creates soft spatial solutions, Proctor & Shaw have achieved a highly-resolved footprint.