Bayt House – A terrace renovation in Wimbledon

Long time residents of Wimbledon, Sabeen and Raph are both of South Indian heritage with cultural ties to the Middle East and Malaysia. When they decided to upsize, and buy a property together, they wanted to bring their cultural upbringing and background with them. “Bayt” – meaning “home” in Arabic – carries a broader cultural and linguistic resonance across the region that very quickly became the fitting name for this homely Wimbledon terrace renovation.

Sabeen and Raph knew what they wanted and gave us a good brief. They wanted to stamp their character and personality to their new home, using colour and texture to make the house feel like theirs, and bring a sense of luxury to the reconfigured bathrooms.

By repainting and retiling the recently installed kitchen and bringing warm and earthy tones into the house, we were able to unlock the warm relaxed feeling of home they were seeking. In the kitchen we adjusted the lighting – taking out the spotlights in favour of characterful side lamps and task lighting to make the whole feel layered and cosy.

Vibrantly muted earth tones

Colour is deeply personal. We used the earthy, warm colours (terracotta, ochre, deep reds and natural clay tones) that are frequently used in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, alongside natural materials such as wood. Instead of using terracotta shades as an accent or neutral backdrop, we embraced a full range of these vibrantly muted tones throughout the house, using complementary tones rather than one uniform colour for a rich and sophisticated palette.

The result is a calm space that provides a cocooning backdrop for their furnishings art and cultural heritage.

Bathrooms are often the last room to be considered. At Bayt, they were the first thing on the agenda to be changed. While they have to be functional, we chose two shades of terracotta Zellige tiles and complemented them with an earthy shade of grout. The layered colour scheme connects to the more subtle palette of the corridor. The colours refract differently, depending on the light, making transitions from light to dark and dark to light as you travel through the home.

Planning Ahead

There are future plans to adjust the kitchen to better suit their way of cooking and spending time together and make access to the garden feel more natural. Once they have settled in and grown used to the house, there are plans to adjust the extension, to thermally upgrade the space and to unlock a more comfortable living space and a greater connection to the garden.

With this second phase in mind, whilst installing the bathrooms, we installed new service routes to minimise disruption when the time comes.

The renovated Wimbledon terrace has become a characterful and homely ‘Bayt’, that is reflective of Sabeen and Raphael’s heritage and upbringing as well as being a contemporary and comfortable family home.