The ground floor was completely open plan and one just fell in from the street into the living room - which also doubled as the sitting room, dining room, kitchen and stairs - a perfect arrangement for student parties, but perhaps not the best arrangement for a more sophisticated life.

The first floor consisted of an assortment of two small bedrooms and even smaller bath and shower rooms.

While the location was wonderful; just a stone’s throw from Sloane Street and Knightsbridge, the space was not promising as it had no garden and was hemmed in by its neighbour just 2.6 metres away and whose principal rooms looked straight out onto the rear of the mews.

The brief seemed wishful thinking; three bedrooms, a separate drawing room, kitchen and dining room and a good sized utility room. And access to natural light of course.

A challenge gets those creative juices flowing and we realised that the stepped nature of the rear of the building, meant that there was room for expansion over the full circumference of the ground floor. Additionally the parking space to the side also belonged to the house and with the appropriate planning consent, we thought we could expand into it.