There comes a point in every project when it stops belonging to us.

The drawings have been built, the photographs have been taken, and the clients have lived in the house long enough for it to become entirely their own. That’s when the most interesting story begins.

Photography captures a moment in time. It celebrates the architecture, the materials and the carefully considered details that have finally come together. But it can only tell part of the story.

The rest is written through everyday life.

Recently, one of our favourite projects, The Venetian Pantry, was featured by Homeworthy, whose beautifully crafted house tours invite homeowners to share the places they love most. Rather than hearing about a project through the architect’s eyes, viewers experience it through the people who wake up there every morning, cook there every evening and slowly make the house their own.

Watch the full Homeworthy house tour below.

One of the things we enjoy most about revisiting completed projects is discovering which spaces have quietly become indispensable. They’re rarely the places that demanded the most structural ingenuity or the details that took the longest to resolve. More often, they’re the corners where routines settle, memories accumulate and life simply happens.

In Martina’s home, that place is the pantry.

It isn’t the largest room in the house, nor its boldest architectural gesture. Yet it has become its emotional centre. Framed by café doors and filled with jars of honey, teas, grains and preserves, it looks onto a weathered brick wall that reminds Martina of her childhood in Veneto. It’s a room built around everyday rituals; cooking, sharing meals, collecting ingredients and slowing down. It has become so much a part of her identity that it inspired the name of her Instagram account, The Venetian Pantry.

We find that fascinating because it says something about what people really remember.

As architects, we naturally spend months thinking about proportion, light, movement, materials and how every room connects to the next. Those decisions matter enormously, but only because they create the conditions for everyday life to unfold. Sometimes the most meaningful spaces aren’t the biggest or the most dramatic. They’re the ones that quietly become part of someone’s daily routine.

Watching the film, it becomes clear that this isn’t a house trying to impress. It feels calm, generous and deeply personal. Italian influences sit comfortably alongside English craftsmanship. Family heirlooms share shelves with everyday objects. Vintage finds live happily beside contemporary interventions. Nothing feels overly curated because everything belongs.

That authenticity is perhaps what resonates most strongly.

Reading through the responses to the film, people rarely discuss the extension, the materials or the architectural details. Instead, they describe the home as peaceful, soulful and comforting. They imagine themselves cooking there, lingering over coffee, or spending a rainy afternoon at the kitchen table. They connect with the atmosphere before they notice the architecture.

For us, that’s perhaps the greatest compliment a project can receive.

“What I love most about this project is that it could never belong to anyone else. The architecture creates the framework, but it’s Martina’s personality, collections, memories and love of cooking that have given it its identity. That’s always our ambition. Not to create homes that look like BVDS projects, but homes that couldn’t possibly belong to anybody else.”
George Bradley, Director

That idea sits at the heart of how we design.

We aren’t looking to develop a recognisable house style or repeat successful projects. Every client arrives with different routines, interests, collections and ambitions for how they want to live. Our role is to understand those things and create a home that gives them room to flourish. Sometimes that might mean a generous kitchen for entertaining. Sometimes it’s a quiet reading nook, a music room or somewhere to display treasured objects gathered over many years.

The architecture provides the framework, but it is the people who ultimately give a home its character.

Perhaps that’s why revisiting projects is such an important part of our own design process. Houses continue to evolve long after construction finishes. Collections grow, furniture moves, children get older, new traditions emerge and favourite places reveal themselves in ways nobody could have predicted. Every conversation with a client teaches us something about how thoughtful design supports everyday life, and those lessons quietly shape the projects that follow.

If you’d like to experience The Venetian Pantry through Martina’s eyes, we hope you’ll enjoy the Homeworthy tour above. You can also explore the project page to discover more about the design process, the thinking behind the renovation and the story of how this Victorian house became a home that feels unmistakably personal.

And if you’re beginning to think about your own London home renovation, we’d be delighted to have a conversation about creating a home that reflects the way you live, rather than anyone else’s. Visit our Contact Page to get in touch.