About Alchemi Renovations
Renovation project managers with award‑winning in‑house interior design. We help homeowners deliver renovation and energy upgrade projects with a clear oversight and design integrity — whether you own a period home, a listed building, or a new build.
You get a single point of accountability for your entire project. One team coordinating budgets, timelines, contractors, and quality — so the outcome is a home that performs better, looks better, and holds its value.
The Team Behind Alchemi Renovations
Over 25 years of combined experience delivering design‑led, sustainable residential projects across prime central London — backed by a development management portfolio valued at over £1 billion at peak.
Laura Marino and Charlie Baxter co‑founded Alchemi Renovations to bring the calibre of expertise they built at Alchemi Group directly to private homeowners. The full story of how that happened — and why a flood changed everything — is on our Our Story page.
Together, they assess every decision through the lens of long‑term asset value. Charlie on energy, building regulations, structural potential, and complex negotiations. Laura on design, materials, value engineering, and day‑to‑day delivery. Nothing is approved without both agreeing it adds value and holds the client’s goals in mind.
Charlie Baxter -
Chief executive officer (ceo)
Charlie brings four decades of experience in London property development, planning, heritage refurbishment, and complex mixed‑use projects. As co‑founder of Alchemi Group, he led the transformation of landmark buildings into award‑winning residential developments – including the RIBA London Award‑shortlisted Westminster Fire Station.
He is a certified domestic energy assessor and leads the Victoria Neighbourhood Forum NCIL team, helping allocate over £2 million for community infrastructure. At Alchemi Renovations, Charlie leads strategy, client finances, and complex negotiations across freehold, leasehold, and planning matters.
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Charlie's expertise spans London's property market, from private residential homes to larger‑scale complex mixed‑use residential‑led developments as a successful entrepreneur. He ultimately co‑founded and led the multi‑award‑winning development management company – Alchemi Group – which famously delivered numerous iconic landmark buildings, including the RIBA London Award for 55 Victoria Street.
Known for combining financial discipline with an eye for long‑term value, Charlie has overseen complex planning processes, large‑scale refurbishments, and mixed‑use retrofits across London. He is a certified domestic energy assessor (TrustMark registered). He leads the Victoria Neighbourhood Forum's NCIL team, reviewing planning applications to ensure environmental credentials go beyond what is now legally mandatory. He is currently driving the Greening of the Piazza of Westminster Cathedral and the reimagining of Victoria Street as a Grand Boulevard (74 trees, 3,000 ft² of planting).
At Alchemi Renovations, Charlie focuses on energy strategy, retrofit planning, funding pathways, and creative asset maximisation – identifying opportunities like mansard extensions or planning gains in conservation areas. He is the primary interface for client finances, business plans, and legal/commercial negotiations.
Laura Marino -
Creative Director/Operating Partner
Laura is an award‑winning sustainable interior designer and has driven design‑led residential projects across London also as the co‑founder and Creative Director of Alchemi Group alongside Charlie. As the founder of Studio L London , her own interior design practice, she is a member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) – bound by its professional commitments to ethics, sustainability, and client care. She is also on House & Garden's “The List” directory, adn the recipient of Homes & Gardens “Best Small Space 2025” award
At Alchemi Renovations, Laura leads design, value engineering, and procurement – always with the goal of improving your home’s long‑term value through smarter specifications and well‑managed costs.
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Laura has overseen concept‑to‑completion delivery of high‑value residential projects across prime central London. At Alchemi Group, she shaped multi‑award‑winning developments that redefined urban living through architecture, interiors, and brand identity.
Her expertise spans interior design, architectural design, placemaking, and asset and brand strategy — producing homes that are elegant, innovative, and efficient. Her guiding belief has always been that commerciality and beautiful design do not need to be mutually exclusive.
What Laura does differently: Laura has a gift for making your budget feel bigger than it is. She knows where to invest and where to save through years of training her product knowledge and discerning eye, mixing high and low, hunting for quality and character, and coming up with innovative solutions and alternatives. The result: a home that looks and feels exactly as you imagined – often times better – due to her flexible approach and her commercial background as an entrepreneur.
At Alchemi Renovations, Laura leads creative strategy across all service tiers, ensuring every project unites design excellence with sustainability, comfort, and long‑term value for your home.
Built on a Proven Foundation
Alchemi Renovations draws on two decades of expertise from its sister companies – the engine room behind everything we deliver.
Alchemi Group — Our multi‑award‑winning development management company (now retired from active service). Its £1bn+ portfolio, design‑first approach, and retrofit expertise form the backbone of how we manage homeowner projects today.
Studio L London — An offshoot of Alchemi Group, led by Laura Marino. Award‑winning sustainable interior design, BIID member, featured in Wallpaper*, Homes & Gardens, The Times, and The Telegraph. Its creative DNA runs through every Alchemi Renovations project.
Your home gets commercial‑rigour project management, certified energy expertise, and award‑winning design – all from one team. The financial discipline of a developer. The creative soul of a boutique studio.
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Alchemi Group is an award‑winning, design‑led London‑based property development manager that specialised in delivering boutique and mixed‑use developments in prime central London. Each project responded to the local vernacular and positively enhanced the area while meeting the needs of current and future generations. At the heart of Alchemi's design was a keen awareness of the environment and climate change. Specialists in finding maximum value by reusing, restoring and increasing the efficiency of existing buildings – from Victorian terraces to redundant Georgian fire stations – Alchemi's experience in retrofitting was exceptional.
Alchemi’s most recognised achievement was 55 Victoria Street, which won a RIBA London Award for its transformation of a 1980s commercial building into loft‑style apartments. That same design‑first, retrofit‑smart expertise now lives inside Alchemi Renovations – applied directly to your home.
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Founded in 2016, Studio L London is Laura Marino’s multi‑disciplinary design studio. Creativity, environmental consciousness, and innovation drive every project. Laura’s approach starts with a strong narrative concept – so your home tells a story that’s uniquely yours. She prioritises responsible materials and practices, reducing waste and promoting reuse without compromising on beauty. The result: sustainably led, ingenious interiors that are timeless, functional, and a pleasure to live in.
Commitment You Can Trust
Every project is delivered by fully accredited professionals who meet the UK’s most stringent standards for energy performance, sustainability, and quality.
ABBE Level 3 - Certified Energy Assessors
Level 5 Accredited Retrofit Coordinators
TrustMark Registered – Government‑endorsed quality
Members of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)
These aren’t badges on a website. They are independent oversight and technical certification that protect your project – and your peace of mind. When a contractor or installer is TrustMark registered, you know they’ve been vetted. When a retrofit coordinator is ABBE Level 5, you know the work follows PAS 2035. That’s the difference between a promise and a guarantee.
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At Alchemi Renovations, sustainability is not an add‑on – it’s integrated into everything we do. Our strategy is actionable and accountable, ensuring long‑term value for you, your community, and the environment.
What this means for your home:
We deliver independent energy assessments to identify high‑impact upgrades. We specify low‑carbon materials and systems without compromising on design. And we track your home’s energy improvements with verified reporting – so you can see the difference.How we operate:
We run our studios on energy‑saving practices, a green IT policy, and promote low‑impact commuting. We train our team in sustainability because it’s everyone’s job.Our partners:
We work with suppliers and innovators who share our standards – low‑impact materials, responsible sourcing, and third‑party certification (TrustMark, PAS 2035).Our commitment to the wider community:
We share knowledge through panels and workshops. Charlie leads the Victoria Neighbourhood Forum’s NCIL team, helping allocate over £2 million to community infrastructure – including the Greening of the Piazza of Westminster Cathedraland the reimagining of Victoria Street as a Grand Boulevard.Governance & reporting:
We track our environmental performance with measurable KPIs and publish an annual impact summary to hold ourselves accountable.Innovation:
We stay ahead of regulatory and technological shifts – so your home benefits from the latest in retrofit and design.Implementation timeline:
0–1 year: Internal operations updates and staff training
1–3 years: Expand sustainability services and deepen partner accountability
3–5 years: Cement leadership in design‑led sustainable retrofits across London