Undercover Architecture on Lansdowne Road

Luke Chandresinghe, the founder of Undercover Architecture, first visited Lansdowne Road almost a decade ago. The property is an exceptionally wide and lofty maisonette, occupying the lower levels of a large villa. Almost at once, he knew what needed to change.

‘The flow and connection of the spaces horizontally and vertically are so important’ Luke explains. ‘And of course, the staircase linking the two floors. In London there’s not a huge amount you can do with these types of houses: the big moves we make tend to involve a special staircase.’

In this case, the position and angle of the stairs were switched. This created open sightlines from the entrance hall to the large reception rooms on either side. At the same time, it allowed light and people to flow between the living spaces.

Undercover Architecture was started by Luke and his wife Estelle. Luke had previously been a directing partner at Michaelis Boyd in its early years, as the company grew from ten people to over thirty. This expansion gave him more management responsibilities, but less time to work on individual projects.

Eventually, Luke left Michaelis Boyd to start his own practice. Luke and Estelle had recently started a family and Luke’s first office was a studio in the garden. When two friends asked him to design a country house – being involved with the project from beginning to end – the company was launched.

‘We’re called Undercover for a variety of reasons,’ he explains. ‘The main reason is that, in an age of people copying ideas they’ve seen online, we’re very guarded with our work. It’s a discerning approach that has brought us clients who value discretion. Half of our work can’t even go on the website …’

‘But,’ he continues, ‘this allows us to be really inventive with our projects. Also, working on a client’s home is very personal. Buying a house is the biggest expenditure most people will ever make, so a huge amount of trust is required. But that’s why our clients have become friends: we understand their families, their work, what they want from their home.’

Undercover is a team of between eight and ten– with no plans to get bigger. Limiting the size of the practice means Luke can give most of his attention to the jobs they take on. ‘Just as much as we take on projects, we also say no to stuff. And we only do the jobs where we feel there’s a good fit between us and the client.’

Luke was educated at UCL’s famous Bartlett School of Architecture. He describes the teaching as ‘maverick,’ with a focus on conceptual narratives rather than the practical application to building and construction. He also spent time in graduate research, living in Japan and working for commercial practices. All this has influenced the ethos of Undercover, with its desire to avoid obvious or mainstream solutions.

‘My interests are not exclusively in architecture at all,’ he explains. ‘I don’t look at trends: all of my inspiration comes from fashion, film, photography, travel and cultures across the globe. When I’m walking, travelling, seeing things, this is the incubation time for new ideas.’

That inspiration can be drawn from both contemporary and historic sources. For instance, the previous owner at Lansdowne Road had chosen a modern design, with all of the ornamentation removed to create minimalist interiors. So, Luke and his team worked hard to restore the classical elements, making sure they were accurate to the original house.

During the renovation, they re-introduced the cornice and skirting board, the mouldings on the wall and ceiling, and the leaded glass in the large bay windows. These details brought back the splendour of the setting, as well as emphasising the elegance of its classical proportions.

However, more contemporary furniture was chosen to match the new owners’ tastes. The team sourced chairs from the most fashionable Italian designers – Living Divani, B&B Italia, Cassina – in styles that ranged from the Sixties to the present day. These were then reupholstered with softer fabrics to create more comfortable, child-friendly spaces.

And what does Luke hope for the property’s next owner? ‘Obviously, taste is subjective: not everyone will like the furniture. But to my mind you can’t improve the layout, we’ve really made the best possible use of that space.’