The Retreat

"We found JMA had the vision to enable us to be far more ambitious. With our home renovation than when we first started. Julian's eye for light, colour, texture and space planning have resulted in the light, airy open plan house we were hoping to achieve."

■ Client

↣ The Retreat

■ Type

■ Location

↣ Harrow, London

"The Retreat" is a family home located in the North West London suburb of Harrow. Originally designed and built by an architect as their personal home, it has now become the residence of a family of three. Our client, the father of the family, grew up in the property as a child and has recently inherited it. He has decided to relocate back to the property and embark on a project to refurbish and modernise the space, with the help of Julian McIntosh Architects, to create a modern contemporary family home that can truly serve as a retreat for all the family.

The goal of this project is to transform the four-bedroom family home into a stylish and elegant contemporary space that reflects modern living while remaining practical and maintainable.

The house has not been refurbished for several generations, therefore our team was tasked with redesigning the home to optimise this piece of family heritage for contemporary lifestyles.

Our design approach focuses on creating spacious, contemporary interiors filled with natural light and offering expansive views of the garden. We aim to establish a restful ambiance with flexible spaces suitable for both work and relaxation. This includes the creation of a home office space on the ground floor for running a wellness business, as well as an office space on the first floor to run a food and beverage business. Additionally, specific living arrangements and improvements to bedroom spaces will accommodate the daughter's needs. We considered the landscaping and outbuildings to ensure a cohesive, well-integrated proposal. We looked at light, flow, and layout, to ensure that our design maximised the use of the space.

Our focus has been on enhancing the sense of flow within the home to create a functional, modern living environment that will allow the homeowners to optimise their space and bring more light into the centre of the dwelling. As these photos show, we're making excellent progress in bringing this design to life, creating a home which is simultaneously beautiful and functional.