Light and air: Haslemere Road

When Helen Rowe first saw what would become her Edwardian red-brick semi in Crouch End, it was underwhelming to say the least. The four-storey building had been divided into bedsits and was badly rundown. “There was even a meal rotting on the table in one of the rooms, but it was attracting a lot of attention from buyers,” Rowe says. “A queue stretched from the front door down the street.”

While others could see the potential of a fixer-upper in a leafy north London suburb back in 2000, few could have envisaged the striking modern home it would become, thanks to the architect Níall McLaughlin, whose practice won last year’s prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize for the New Library at Cambridge’s Magdalene College.

“These Edwardian houses were built to keep the elements out and retain warmth, but the legacy of this means they are quite dark. We wanted to increase the light,” says Rowe, a retired executive and art collector.

Over two years, McLaughlin stripped the house back to its bare walls. While it is still a handsome, traditional villa from the outside, complete with a stained-glass front door, it has been completely remodelled internally to create 3,424 sq ft of split-level, voluminous living space that is dramatic yet practical for family life.

Light floods the interiors, which were designed to display an impressive contemporary art collection. There’s a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking a double-height kitchen; the reception room occupies the space of two rooms of the original house; and the dining room has a vast glass wall two-and-a-half storeys high that looks out onto the mature garden and its line of plane trees. “You come into the house and immediately see outside to the garden,” Rowe explains. “It gives a wonderful perspective on urban nature.”

Art isn’t only on the walls – artistic moments are woven into the fabric of the building. The staircase down to the kitchen and garden is of solid steel, while there’s a screen of 80 delicate plates of perforated acid-etched nickel silver that hang floor to ceiling at the front of the house. This was designed by McLaughlin to hide the original bay windows and integrate the different floors but has become one of the property’s most striking architectural features.

The upstairs rooms also offer leafy vistas. The principal first-floor suite overlooks the garden and has a bathroom and book-lined library, while there are three further double bedrooms – the two on the top floor offer spectacular views over the rooftops and up to Alexandra Palace and Muswell Hill.

Although the house is just moments from the hustle and bustle of Crouch End, known for its artisan coffee shops and independent boutiques, it is peaceful, with an attractive home office set in the garden. It’s the perfect place for parties, too. “It’s brilliant for entertaining,” Rowe confirms. “The house was designed for a growing family, not as a standoffish architectural gem. And even without the art the architecture stands on its own merits.”

Haslemere Road is for sale with a guide price of £3,950,000. Please contact Simon Boulton with any enquiries on simon.boulton@knightfrank.com