Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, with the Market House and memorial fountain. Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0Riverside apartments, Victorian streets and Coombe
Kingston is an old market town that grew quickly once the railway came. Building spread south of the town from the 1830s, Kingston station opened in 1863, and Victorian streets filled Norbiton, Canbury and the roads towards Surbiton. Since the relief road opened in 1989, the riverside has been remade with shops and flats, from Charter Quay in the early 2000s onwards. Up the hill, Coombe and Kingston Hill are a different world: large Victorian, Edwardian and 20th century houses in spacious, landscaped settings.
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has 26 conservation areas. Coombe Wood, designated in 1990, covers 113 properties around Coombe Wood Golf Course, in the triangle between Kingston Hill, George Road and Warren Road. Coombe Hill, designated in 1996, covers 84 properties on the estate of the demolished Coombe Warren, including several mid 19th century houses by the architect George Devey. Kingston Old Town, Kingston Hill and the riverside have conservation areas of their own.
From our Thames Ditton projectSmart technology in a Kingston apartment
A flat needs a different approach from a house. Walls may be shared, ceilings may be concrete, and the lease usually says what you can change. Before we design anything, check your lease and ask the managing agent or freeholder what consent you need. After that, a lot is possible: Lutron lighting scenes on wireless keypads, motorised blinds on large river-facing windows, a TV or projector with discreet speakers, and multi-room audio from one app. Bass is the thing to be careful with, so we choose and place subwoofers with your neighbours in mind.
Blocks often have their own rules on working hours, lift bookings, parking and who can access the service risers, so we agree those with the managing agent before we start. A good equipment position matters too: in a flat there is rarely a spare cupboard, so we plan a small, ventilated space for the network and AV equipment early rather than squeezing it into a kitchen unit later.
From our Thames Ditton projectVictorian and Edwardian houses in norbiton and canbury
In the terraced and semi-detached streets of Norbiton and Canbury, the job is retrofitting finished rooms. Wireless Lutron keypads replace rows of switches without chasing plaster, in-ceiling speakers go in through small openings, and a back reception room or loft conversion can become a media room with a screen that appears only when you want a film.
From our Thames Ditton projectWhole-home systems in coombe and Kingston hill
The larger houses on the hill suit a whole-home Control4 system: lighting, heating, gates, cameras and entertainment in one app, with a properly designed Wi-Fi network to carry it across several floors and a large garden. In the Coombe Wood and Coombe Hill conservation areas, keep external additions such as cameras, garden speakers and aerials discreet, and check with the council before fixing anything to the house.
From our Thames Ditton projectNearby projects and cinema rooms
Kingston sits between our Walton-on-Thames base and our London work. On the far side of Richmond Park, our Roehampton Gate cinema turned a 7 by 8 metre basement into a 9.4 Dolby Atmos cinema for a family of seven, with a JVC laser projector, Moovia seating, Control4 and Lutron. Closer to the showroom, our Esher entertainment room pairs an everyday 85 inch TV with a 120 inch screen that appears at one touch. A dedicated cinema suits a basement or a spare room; a media room suits a living room that has to stay one.
Our demonstration cinema in Walton-on-ThamesSee and hear it first
Our Walton-on-Thames showroom is a short drive from Kingston, with a demonstration cinema and a Control4 system you can try for yourself. A professionally designed small cinema room typically costs £15,000 to £25,000 fully installed. Book a showroom visit or book a free design consultation.
