Designers Statement
Behind the grand houses of London were built stable blocks with staff accommodation and haylofts above, accessed from a cobbled street they were knows as mews. Named after the Royal Mews which was originally housing for hunting hawks and derived from the French word muer – to moult. After the second World War mews became redundant and neglected despite being in some of the most aristocratic quarters in London, as grand houses out of necessity had less staff and the motorcar had taken over. By the 1960’s a whole new revolutionary generation emerged looking for a new way of living which was less formal and more affordable, they discovered the mews and being such a steal, they converted them into charming homes. The mews became synonymous with bohemia and the swinging sixties.
The likes of the racing drivers such as James Hunt bought them and there was even a notorious scandal in a mews which became known as the Profumo affair. Their coolness prevailed and those cobbled streets were used for fashion shoots and even adverts in the 80’s.
This mews remained part of a grand town house overlooking Regent’s Park which I renovated. I was asked to rebuild the mews including adding a basement floor to accommodate staff and my clients’ grown-up children when they were in town.
Giving each of the family member their own room that reflected their individual personality and taste, I also wanted to celebrate the cool demeanour that mews living had acquired.
