davit and mary jilavyan propose a contemporary facade in historic london

a contemporary facade in an historic neighborhood

after experimenting with filleted openings in a proposed facade in new york, architects davit and mary jilavyan were approached by a client who saw potential for something similar with his own home in mayfair, central london.

the team presents a contemporary concept drawing of a four bedroom sustainable family home, fit for modern living, to replace a derelict house dating back to the late mid-century. because the building is within a conservation area, the architects drew inspiration from the house which it would replace, thus proposing a contemporary take on the ‘long window.’ further inspiration was drawn from the neighboring buildings, with the aim of at once complementing the heritage of the area and meeting the client’s needs.

images courtesy of davit and 

the jilavyan team takes to london

behind the facade by davit jilavyan and mary jilavyan, the home’s interior layout and construction had already been developed by another studio. the client wished for the moscow-based team’s new front to flood each interior space with natural light and introduce a balcony off the top level kitchen-dining room where it would be used the most.

it was also important for the design team to maintain its distinct style, especially the white window frames of varying thicknesses, made of natural stone — in this case is limestone or sandstone. black brick was chosen as a facing material to blend in better with the adjacent building.

early iterations saw vibrant colors

since the beginning of the facade project, the jilavyan team proposed about a dozen different window layouts and color schemes. the architects evn proposed iterations including arched windows, with a round window. while the ultimate design shows a black finish, the initial range of proposals included bright colors for the facade such as orange, pink, and blue. these versions would have most closely recalled the vibrant works throughout the architects’ portfolio including a pink and yellow house in mexico (see more here).