The architect Thomas Croft describes his house in a surprising green mews of small homes fronted by gravel in Notting Hill as an urban cottage. When you hit the gravel, you don’t feel like you’re in the city. Because it feels off-grid rather than right on the street, Croft says he was initially drawn to his house, which he shares with his wife, journalist Max, and their daughter, Kitty 11.

The kitchen has been converted into a loo-comutility room to the right of the hallway. The new kitchen is directly ahead of the open-plan area beyond this, while the living room is to the left. We demolished many walls because the house was bent up into little rooms, and these sections form a L shape around the garden, which is accessible through sliding windows.