Budget £300k. It may be a bad business decision, but I want them to have the best. The bottom line was that I didn’t know if they would be up for a major project, and that’s what this was: a great site overlooking the ocean, but a big, awful house.

The renovation of Tony Blair's new £3.5 million London home by Northern Irish architect Simon Templeton looks set to get planning despite a clamour of objections from neighbours. Besides the separate 14B going up on the door a shiny new silver letter box was also added.

She succeeded brilliantly, which is how we got the “graffiti”-style raw silk curtains in the living room and the slashing bursts of black and white on pillows that liven up the formerly stygian basement. Official UK Register of Architects - Search for architects in the UK. In May 2011 the basement was connected to the upper part of the property." He added: "The owner agreed to reverse any unauthorised works, which has been done. She added: "It would appear that the property is currently being used as its lawful use as a single family dwelling. This commenting section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. The building was Runner-up Best Small Building in Ireland 1999, prior to the addition of the extension. A Westminster Council spokesman said the action it took was in line with Government advice to try and rectify problems before court action is taken. I still miss that mirror.My gift as a decorator is for hardscape; I have an instinct for furniture and line.

A British architect talented enough to wring magical spaces out of windowless basements, Templeton does more than take advantage of possibilities—he invents them.His contribution was to spatially reinvent the house in ways I never would have foreseen, doubling the usable public domain and transforming the basement into a lower-­ceilinged but just as exciting twin of the floor above.

In view of this no further action is necessary and the file will be closed accordingly." Yesterday one of the neighbours who has complained about the breach questioned whether the council might have acted so leniently had it been anyone else. Thank goodness they didn’t listen, and Simon and I are hard at it.Friendship is also a big part of this story. Regarding a new number was added to the street, in addition to the Blair's own, he responded: "Number "14B" was removed 05-2011 when basement was connected to upper parts." In the years before our project began, I watched my client turn herself into a savvy collector, specifically of photography, so when it came to furniture I offered her two options: We could fill the house with comfortable things—pretty, serviceable pieces that might be good in a house used less than two months a year, or we could build a furniture collection.

"What can be a greater contravention of planning policy than being refused permission to do something then going ahead and doing it anyway? Research is a part of Archaeology during which players can send research teams on expeditions and acquire materials, Archaeology experience, and sometimes artefacts.. My instruction was not to come back with anything that didn’t look handmade. If, when we were housemates in grad school, I had had any idea that this person would go on to be so successful, I would have been a better listener. Recently this family closed on a flat in Kensington that I also begged them not to buy. I’m making that up to her now. Glazed skylights. If it hadn't been the Blairs I haven't the slightest doubt that the matter would have ended up in court, with a hefty fine to make sure the offender didn't do it again." What the FoI documents reveal is that the former Prime Minister's family paid little heed, installing an un-named lodger who seen regularly entering and leaving the basement entrance. Zinc roof. View Simon Templeton’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. The original was made for a kitchen, and that’s where ours is too; it serves as a chopping board. Mysteriously, it changed hands before I ever took it out of the box. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Town & Country participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. View simon Templeton’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. The Tank was built by my father in conjunction with architect, Simon Templeton.

Internal structural alterations. Though the Tank was built from scratch, originally the site was a workshop for the McCandless brothers who invented the now famous Featherbed motorbike frame in 1950. When someone uses the title “architect”, it means that members of the public can check with us that they are dealing with a genuine and qualified professional. For me it has enormous value, because when people trust me, I wouldn’t dream of letting them down. The plaque, Mr Templeton admits, was removed after planning inspectors, responding to complaints from neighbours, visited the mews house in May 2011.