1, Colville Place

A maisonette and gallery dating from 1964, designed by Max Neufeld for his own use. The building occupies an infill plot, just fifteen feet wide, in Fitzrovia. Constructed of brick with concrete beams to the front and rear, the main structure sits on timber joists spanning the existing party walls of adjacent properties. It is three stories high, incorporating a gallery on the ground floor and a basement. The maisonette is entered via a side door leading to a spiral staircase which provides access to the living room and kitchen, bedrooms and office, bathroom, and a top-floor master bedroom with a roof terrace. The windows and doors are thick timber-framed, with sash windows to the main openings. A large, off-centre window in the living room is designed to maximise light from the south-east, alongside a full-height narrow window to the side. A sliding glazed timber screen opens onto the roof terrace, which has a concrete beam with opaque wired glass below and built-in window boxes. A timber and steel balustrade protects a lightwell to the basement, alongside a natural timber shopfront and door, which lead to the maisonette entrance via two steps, both recessed under a concrete beam. The gallery has a straight timber staircase to the basement, and a timber floor on the ground floor.

The interior features a spiral staircase with individually set treads under a circular rooflight. Exposed, carefully finished timber floors and simple, unmoulded natural timber doors are found throughout. The first floor kitchen features natural timber built-in cupboards and worktops. The living room includes a bookcase and cupboards built into one wall, with opaque glass fronts to the upper sections. The second floor has built-in cupboards and a plan chest to the rear bedroom, along with shelving in the front room. Fitted wardrobes are present in the master bedroom, all in a similar minimal style.

The building is recognised for its meticulous detailing and minimalist aesthetic, creating a sophisticated and well-considered infill scheme representative of modernist design. It cost £8,000 to construct.