THE CHALLENGE
Holland Road is situated in the highly sought-after Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This partly tree lined boulevard is characterised by it’s imposing periodic Victorian architecture. Most of the terraced town houses are 4 or 5 storeys high and feature either painted Italianate stucco or ornate brick facades and retain numerous original features. The ironmongery specified by Merlin needed to compliment these Victorian, symmetrical features.
THE APPROACH
The Prostyle Matt Black finish was selected for it’s echo of the black accents of the building; most notably, the traditional black front door, and periodic iron balcony. The shape of the lever handles selected pays an ode to the very structure and character of the Kensington road, with the terrace’s s tall, symmetrical features. Alongside this, Merlin supplied the whole matching Prostyle package – including pull handles, door closers and hinges.
THE BUILDING
It’s been noted that the buildings are preserved due to their essentially classical proportions, whilst being Gothic in its ornamentation. Famous former residents include Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the rock group Queen. He wrote the classic bestseller Bohemian Rhapsody whilst living at 100 Holland Road in the 1970s. The front cover from a record album is from a photo session of Queen taken at Mercury’s flat in Holland Road.
