A stylish guest house in Fulham hidden at the bottom of a magical London garden

Garden rooms are always rather a dreamy concept: a space immersed in nature where it is possible to retreat and find peace and quiet, yet with the practicality to function as an extension of the main house. This two-bedroom pavilion at the foot of an enchanting London garden admirably fulfils that brief. Located in Fulham and worked on by a dream team of designers–including architects Groves Natcheva, interior designer Olivia Emery, her mother the garden designer Diana Wilson of Faber & Wilson, and the building firm Broseley–the multi-functional brick and timber guest house seamlessly blends in with spiral yew trees and ribbons of cascading jasmine, yet provides plenty of space for the inhabitants of the house to spread out.

Architects Adriana Natcheva and Murray Groves have created a curved façade, with wings on either side that house symmetrical bedrooms, overlooking delicately planted hedgerows and a flourishing garden designed by Diana Wilson of Faber and Wilson. It resembles a Japanese tea house, calm and collected yet filled with personality, with top-to-bottom Crittall windows and doors mirroring the plentiful foliage. Planning laws for the borough dictated height restrictions, yet these ended up working in the architects’ favour when it was decided the foundations would be lowered to create a sunken effect; this helps the pavilion to feel rooted in its surroundings.

“The idea was to introduce a kitchen where the worktop would be at the level of the garden” Murray explains. “The kitchen is located in the bay window, so when the windows are open you feel like you are cooking in the garden”. In the bedrooms, if you are lying in bed you look straight onto a flower bed of white iceberg roses at the precise level you are sleeping at. Building firm Broseley, having constructed the pavilion itself, also crafted a winding, bricked walkway of “slow steps” down to the front of the house, creating a leisurely approach to the house's entrance, which Diana then adorned with flowering climbers. A rainwater chain captures drops of water on wet days, making the pathway sparkle as if hung with jewellery.

The interior is lined with exposed Chelsea Yellow brick and beams of European oak, forging a connection to nature; indeed it would be easy to forget the property’s close proximity to Central London. Nothing about the architecture is superfluous. As Adriana explains, “The finishes of the building are the structure of the building, and the architecture here is part of the interior design”. Groves Natcheva worked holistically to create a rustic, rough feel, which is quite different from the decoration of the main house. Timber has been left untreated and the fireplace rests on an exposed concrete plinth. Murray adds “nothing is tempered, everything was left in its raw natural state. We wanted the pavilion to feel like it engages with the environment of the garden”.

Olivia's job was to soften that sense of raw nature. “The space lent itself to becoming totally balanced” notes Olivia. She added gentle patterns, hints of mustard yellow, rose, clementine and powder blue through her scheme of soft furnishings, with fabrics by Paolo Moschino and Christopher Farr embellishing and moderating the rustic backdrop. The space was intended to be multi-functional, allowing for everything from evening drinks parties to morning yoga sessions. With this brief in mind, Olivia aimed to make the space as adaptable as possible, including, for example, a clever foldable kitchen table by Chelsea Textiles. It seats two to three with ease for a guest breakfast, but is equally straightforward to move, transforming the space into an open entertaining area.

An artful mix of traditional and contemporary elements also helps the interior to feel harmonious. “There was an antique desk that the clients were very keen on using," notes Olivia, “ so I got that restored and fitted with blue leather, and put the big spiked mirror above it for contrast.” The gold in each ties the vignette together. Opposite sits a Julian Chichester sideboard in vellum and aged brass, which Olivia felt was versatile enough for a modern or classic interior. Dashes of pattern throughout the bedrooms and communal rooms are a tribute to the owners’ love of colour and art, displayed in statement rugs by Wicklewood and Luke Irwin, and lamp shades by Cressida Bell and Rosi de Ruig. The clients’ own double bed headboards designed by Beata Heuman are upholstered in flowing organic prints, echoing the garden outside.

Looking down from the main house, it is far from obvious that there's a two bedroom building at the end of the garden. Murray recalls “the clients were concerned it was going to dominate, but we really celebrated the fact that it sits so beautifully in its setting”. Broseley additionally installed a green roof, and when viewed from the upper floors of neighbouring buildings, the pavilion is fully harmonious with its surroundings. Adriana reflects “The transition between inside and outside is blurred, it is truly a garden pavilion, and is meant to joyfully relate to nature”.

oliviaemery.com | grovesnatcheva.com | @faberandwilson | broseley.com