Gunter & Co Design Light-Filled London Arts and Crafts Residence

"Light became architecture in this Edwardian-era home in South West London, where the promise of relocating a staircase evolved into a radical excavation that preserved only the facade. Designed by Gunter & Co, the London Arts and Crafts residence is a study in controlled demolition and strategic reconstruction - a three-story entrance void that transformed arrival into a moment of spatial disorientation, more akin to entering a contemporary art institution than a domestic setting."

"The project hinged on a material restraint that bordered on ascetic. White Emperador marble blankets the ground floor in over fifty slabs, each piece selected and positioned to create nearly invisible seams through in-situ polishing - a technique that merged individual stones into a continuous plane. The choice of Emperador, with its soft gray veining, provides subtle movement without competing with the contemporary art collection that motivated much of the spatial planning."

"Polished plaster walls throughout eliminate the typical language of period architecture. Flush metal detailing mark transitions between surfaces, a decision that reads as both modernist discipline and Indian architectural influence, where interior walls often function as smooth, light-reflective planes. The design team traveled to India to understand social patterns, the way extended families gather, the importance of prayer spaces, and the relationship between creative practice and daily routine."

An Edwardian house in South West London was stripped to its facade and reconstructed to prioritize light and spatial disorientation through a three‑story entrance void. The ground floor is clad in over fifty White Emperador marble slabs polished in situ to create nearly invisible seams and a continuous plane for a contemporary art collection. Polished plaster walls and flush metal detailing eliminate period language and emphasize smooth, light‑reflective surfaces influenced by Indian architecture. Research in India shaped programmatic choices, adding an artist studio and prayer room and dissolving boundaries between kitchen, dining, and family areas. Collaboration with Indian craftsmen produced bespoke oak furniture, cast bronze details, and earthy fabrics that avoid decorative exoticism.

Read at Design Milk