Emerging London-based architectural and interior design studio Arcola has unveiled its latest residential transformation: a striking redesign of a post-war industrial building in Notting Hill, crafted for British-Canadian music executive and entrepreneur Merck Mercuriadis. This meticulously detailed 490m² home, with 44m² of roof terraces, offers a seamless interplay of industrial heritage and refined craftsmanship.
Situated in Powis Mews, the property is unique for its industrial origins – originally a small factory designed by Richard Seifert, later transformed into a residence by Ross Lovegrove, whose design ethos still subtly informs the space today, most notably with the curving, ribbon-like staircase that anchors the basement reception room. It also backs onto David Hockney’s former studio, where the celebrated artist created some of his most iconic works. The location, in the Colville Conservation Area, retains a distinctive character, balancing residential life with its historic industrial roots.
Arcola was tasked with domesticating the space while preserving its architectural DNA. The house was originally divided into commercial and residential spaces, with stark, open-plan white interiors featuring polycarbonate and stainless steel. The design team reconfigured the layout, introducing custom-crafted elements that bridge the gap between the building’s industrial past and its new role as a contemporary four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with multiple reception spaces.
“The general design brief was simply to honour the legacy of the previous owner [Ross Lovegrove] while making what had been an apartment over a studio a liveable single home,” explains Sami Jalili, Co-Founder and Designer at Arcola. “Beyond that the basement needed to function quite specifically as a listening room with storage for an incredible amount of LPs, and an additional roof terrace was wanted.
“We needed to respond to the existing architecture, which we felt could be enhanced. The client’s needs were clear in terms of use, although we were largely given carte blanche on the design. The concept was to respond to the building’s industrial origin, and its previous owner’s interventions as an industrial designer, but in a way that was more playful and ultimately much more liveable.
“The objectives set were principally use-oriented, although the client had clear aesthetic desires regarding his own space – the listening room/study in the basement. He has a strong, monochromatic personal style and wanted that reflected materially.”
This project called for the reconfiguration of spaces with the ground floor entrance relocated to create a more defined reception and open-plan kitchen area. The basement was transformed into a lair-like office and listening room, which houses an expansive LP collection in a vast, monolithic storage wall (requiring its own structural certificate). There is no centralised staircase; each of the four levels of the home has a unique feel, reinforced by multiple staircases, each with its own sculptural design and form, and connected at different points on the plan rather than following a conventional centralised layout. The top floor master suite, once a reception space, now houses a bespoke oak-clad dressing room and ensuite, leading onto a rooftop terrace with a spiral staircase.
“I think the common thread [that ties the key design interventions together] is the play of hardness with softness; warm earthy tones with cold steel and aluminium, and hi-tech with domestic,” says Jalili. “The building’s industrial past was important to us, and we wanted to make sure there was some continuity there, while not being beholden to it when it came to creating a comfortable environment.”
All furniture and furnishings, except for select antique pieces, were custom-designed for the project for a seamless feel.
“In the basement we used a palette of 10mm thick raw aluminium and black lacquered veneer throughout, in which we produced the monumental LP wall and coffee table,” explains Jalili. “The sofa on that and the ground floor were also designed to be central to the scheme. A bespoke desk on the first floor is a more practically sized copy of a Charlotte Perriand design, which is paired with a 1950s Italian lacquered bookcase. There are a number of antique pieces throughout, which balance the more integrated items out.
“The F&F is quite classically modern – Vola brassware throughout for instance. We didn’t want to make a statement with core functional services, but rather use pieces that were quietly recognisable and reliable. We love Vaughan’s art deco inspired picture lights at the moment, which we’ve used throughout, but other lighting is intended to disappear. We kept cabinetry details simple, and while different throughout they’re all of the same material and quite fundamental in shape. We did produce custom door furniture for the exterior and entry hallway, which is organic in form and in polished stainless.”
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