A London architect has completely reimagined his family's Victorian maisonette in North London, transforming what was once a dark and inefficient space into a warm, functional home that perfectly accommodates the daily life of his family of five. The key to this remarkable transformation lies in an innovative approach to staircase design that has revolutionized how the family moves through and uses their 2,000-square-foot home.
Architect Nathaniel Mosley of Mosley Thorold, the London-based architecture firm he co-founded with Henry Thorold in 2017, purchased the Victorian maisonette in Newington Green in 2019. At the time, the property suffered from poor room layout and what Mosley describes as a "complicated" arrangement of various staircases. "The houses in this area were too large for the market in the past, so they were divided into multiple residential units. Our late Victorian terraced house contains two apartments," Mosley explains.
The architect and his family lived in the space for several years before beginning renovation work, using this time to understand how the space functioned and where improvements were needed. "We bought the apartment knowing it needed renovation. The house has high ceilings and we immediately saw the great potential to bring more light into the rooms. We were also clear from the beginning that we would change the staircase," Mosley recalls.
The central challenge, common to many London Victorian terraced houses, was the vertical rather than lateral arrangement of rooms and usage, which often makes spaces appear fragmented and disconnected. "We wanted to create a flowing and interwoven feeling in the rooms, which we essentially solved through the new design of the staircase," says Mosley. The architect relocated the staircases to a central position to better organize vertical movement and create a simple flow across the three levels.
Two additional skylights were installed to flood the new stairwell and adjacent living areas with natural daylight, dramatically brightening what had previously been dark interior spaces. This strategic placement of the staircase now serves as the connecting element throughout the home, allowing family members to move seamlessly between floors while maintaining visual connection across different living levels.
To create more space for family life on the upper floor, the architecture firm expanded what was originally just a single attic room. The family now enjoys an additional bedroom, children's room, bathroom, and rooftop terrace on this level, providing variety and alternatives to the larger living area on the ground floor. These upper spaces offer quieter, more private retreats where family members can withdraw from the bustle of communal areas below.
The kitchen and dining area serve as the heart of the home, where the family gathers daily for cooking, making music, and relaxing. Music plays a central role in the Mosley family's life – Nathaniel's wife is a professional cellist, and each of their three children is learning to play an instrument. This musical focus influenced the design, ensuring spaces could accommodate both intimate practice sessions and larger family music-making.
Throughout the home, evidence of the family's passions for books, art, music, and travel can be found in thoughtfully curated displays. Open shelving in the entrance area showcases stones collected during family trips, while baroque paintings hang on walls throughout the house. Every corner of the family home serves both functional and aesthetic purposes, including artwork hanging above the bathtub in the bathroom.
The design philosophy behind the renovation emphasizes durability and warmth through carefully selected materials. Ash wood floors, stairs, and cabinets, along with linoleum kitchen fronts, were chosen for their robustness and functionality in daily family life. Open fireplaces, upholstered furniture, and curtains used as room dividers bring coziness to the spaces while maintaining the home's clean, uncluttered aesthetic.
Built-in ash wood cabinets and shelving complement the reduced color palette, while lighting remains subtle, natural, and minimalist to allow the materials to take center stage. The overall effect creates what Mosley describes as a "forgiving" environment that can withstand the demands of three active children while providing adequate space for large dinner parties and music-making.
According to Mosley, houses should not be static exhibition spaces but places of surprise and security where life's moments can be curated. The open shelving displays, unobstructed views across different living levels, and natural light filtering through the central staircase create a homey, inspiring living atmosphere that supports rather than constrains family activities.
The success of the renovation is perhaps best measured by his children's reaction to any suggestion of moving. "Our children fortunately love the house very much," says Mosley. "Recently I suggested that we could also move to another home with a garden and was met with great rejection." His children have perfectly settled into their home, able to enjoy the lively family life in open living areas or retreat to their more private, quieter corners on the upper floors.
Mosley particularly appreciates how the interconnected rooms accommodate the constant coming and going of family life. "What I especially like is how the interconnected rooms do justice to the constant coming and going of family life. The key is that everything has its place with us. The daily routine becomes a kind of ebb and flow: everything we need for dinner, homework, cooking, and playing can be easily retrieved and stored again, so it never looks messy. And at the end of the day, all surfaces are free again."
The architect summarizes the renovation project with clear satisfaction: "We wanted the house to be forgiving, to withstand the wear and tear of our three children, to provide enough space for a large dinner, to give us room to play music, and at the same time appear generous." The goal of Mosley Thorold's work, as demonstrated in this personal project, is to create designs that enable people to enjoy their lives to the fullest without having to hold back – a philosophy perfectly embodied in this thoughtful London family home.
