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"Sting &amp;amp; Trudie Styler\nThey reclaim the heart and soul of their townhouse in London\nSting and his wife, Trudie Styler (inset), tapped Lee F. Mindel to renovate their early-18th-century London house (left). Mindel teamed with restoration architect Anthony Close-Smith on the project, which included transforming the ground floor into living space.\nMatisse prints and, above the fireplace, a Picasso are in the living room. The low tables are by Yves Klein; a Barry Flanagan bronze is on the Diego Giacometti side table. Holland &amp;amp; Sherry sofa fabric.\nThe endeavor \"evolved into a larger scale once we made the commitment to use the ground floor for living,\" says Mindel, who took pains to make the revamped spaces \"seem simple and inevitable.\" A spiral stair leads into the bright, airy family room. Drapery and light pillow fabrics, Rogers &amp;amp; Goffigon. Great Plains dark pillow fabric.\nMindel stands in the elegant entrance stair hall he calls \"the building's pride and joy.\" When the now-7,000-square-foot residence was originally built, the \"rich and moody and warm paneling\" would have been white, since it was made of pine, \"a cheaper wood,\" he explains, \"always meant to be painted.\"\nAs they tackled the ground floor, Mindel recalls, \"We asked ourselves, \u2018How can we make each room seem spacious and connected to the outdoors?' \" Part of the solution was to install a large skylight and glaze the rear wall to bring in natural illumination from the gardens above and just outside the family and dining rooms. Rogers &amp;amp; Goffigon windowpane plaid.\nThe ground floor's reconfigured plan.\n\nGround-Floor Plan\n\n 1 Family Room\n\n 2 Dining room\n\n 3 kitchen\n\n 4 Pantry\n\n 5 Elevator\n\n 6 Wine storage\n\n 7 Office\n\n 8 Service Areas\n\n 9 Baths\nMindel (left, helping with the ground floor's excavation) utilized a host of methods to unify and harmonize the new spaces with the existing house and each other.\nFor the sleek kitchen, the ceiling \"was punched up to group light fixtures,\" he points out. \"Half of it is taller than it was before.\" He installed pocket doors for a seamless transition into the dining room. The straw Tom Dixon chair and wood floors lend organic elements.\n\"With all of our Modernist training, we could look fresh at the 18th century and get into the spirit of the building,\" says Mindel. Faux-pine paneling in the music/media room surrounds panels of fabric from Rogers &amp;amp; Goffigon. Two Ben Nicholson works flank a Peter Blake on the fireplace wall.\nAt the rear of the house, the chaos of construction gave way to a peaceful refuge. Arabella Lennox-Boyd designed the garden."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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