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London studio Russian For Fish renovated a narrow Camden townhouse that previously operated as a record shop, shaping it into a family home with distinct color palettes and a concealed film screen. Architect Pereen d’Avoine said the design retains the experience of entering a record shop, while a dark ground-floor room gives way to a bright kitchen and a view of the garden.
London architecture and design studio Russian For Fish has renovated a narrow Camden townhouse that previously housed a record shop, turning the building into a family home organized around contrasting colors, preserved character and a carefully staged entrance. In an interview with Livingetc, architect and co-director Pereen d’Avoine said the design was intended to retain something of the shop’s atmosphere while adapting the building for contemporary domestic life.
The house unfolds through a sequence of rooms with distinct palettes: an aquamarine kitchen, a granite-toned informal room, a citrine living room and a mint-colored dining room, followed by a white bedroom. The design does not use one color scheme throughout; instead, the rooms have individual identities while sharing materials and furnishings intended to make them feel connected.
D’Avoine said the former shopfront informed the experience of entering the home. The front room is dark and cocoon-like, with frosted glazing in the shopfront bay to provide privacy and limit views into the house from the street. The brighter kitchen appears around a corner, opening a longer view toward a garden at the rear.
The renovation also incorporates a concealed projection screen in the partition between two first-floor sitting rooms. According to d’Avoine, the screen drops down for film nights, allowing the rooms to serve a different purpose without making the technology a permanent visual feature. The report credits the project’s photographs to Jake Seal and identifies Russian For Fish as the design studio.
A Shopfront That Shapes Home Life
The project offers a specific example of how a narrow, former commercial building can be adapted for family use without erasing the cues that made it distinctive. The design keeps the shopfront entrance and uses the building’s long, narrow plan to create a sequence of rooms rather than treating the townhouse as a single open space. The entrance’s darkness and the kitchen’s brightness are presented as deliberate contrasts, not as a lack of daylight or an attempt to make every room feel larger.
For readers interested in renovating older homes, the reported choices show how color, privacy and flexible features can work together. The concealed screen adds a practical use to a sitting-room partition, while the garden view gives the house a visual destination beyond its interior. These are design decisions described by the architect and the publication, not evidence that the approach will suit every narrow home or renovation budget.
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From Camden Record Shop to Residence
The building’s previous life as a record shop is central to the design account in Livingetc. D’Avoine said the studio wanted to preserve the curiosity of entering one of Camden’s record shops, where visitors do not immediately know what they will find. The dark entry and the concealed view through the house were intended to echo that experience before the brighter kitchen and garden come into view.
D’Avoine leads Russian For Fish with co-director Nilesh Shah. The source describes the London practice as working across architecture and interiors, including the transformation of existing buildings. It does not provide the townhouse’s address, the project’s cost, its completion date or details of the owners’ brief beyond its use as a family home.
““We wanted to retain something of the experience of entering a record shop.””
— Pereen d’Avoine, architect and co-director of Russian For Fish, speaking to Livingetc
Project Details Not Disclosed
The Livingetc report does not state when the renovation was completed, how much it cost or who owns the property. It also does not provide measurements, planning or construction details, or a full account of how the building’s existing structure was repaired or altered. The design descriptions and intentions are attributed to d’Avoine; the source does not independently assess the home’s performance, accessibility, energy use or suitability for other households.
The source calls the rear outdoor space a secret garden but gives no information about its size, planting plan or maintenance. It is also unclear whether the former shop is protected by any heritage designation or whether specific historic features were retained beyond the shopfront-related design described in the interview.
No Further Project Milestone Listed
The source presents the townhouse as a completed renovation and does not identify a forthcoming construction stage, opening or other project milestone. Its next step for readers is editorial: Livingetc directs readers toward a design edit of furniture and lighting inspired by the home. Further information about the property, its budget or the renovation timeline would require additional details from the studio or the owners.
Key Questions
What happened to the former Camden record shop?
It was renovated into a family townhouse by London design studio Russian For Fish, according to Livingetc.
Who designed the renovation?
The project is attributed to Russian For Fish. Architect and co-director Pereen d’Avoine discussed the design with Livingetc; the studio is led by d’Avoine and co-director Nilesh Shah.
How does the home use color?
The rooms have distinct palettes, including an aquamarine kitchen, a citrine living room, a mint-colored dining room and a white bedroom. A dark, intimate room sits near the entrance.
What remains of the building’s record-shop character?
D’Avoine said the studio sought to retain the experience of entering a record shop. The report describes a frosted shopfront bay and a dark entrance that conceals the view through the house.
When was the renovation completed, and what did it cost?
The Livingetc source does not give a completion date or project cost.
Source: livingetc.com
