A Town Flat Refurbishment

Our client, an Anglo-Italian couple, approached us to help them reconfigure their home, by joining the first and second (top) floor flats into one maisonette with a roof terrace, in a leafy North London street.

Flow and interconnectedness of space, contrasting volumes and proportions of rooms, and quality of natural light, were driving considerations in the design of the layout and the external modifications that involved the addition of windows. Bringing the roof terrace into the interior, by revealing its presence from the entrance hall with a large walk-on rooflight and providing access to it from the kitchen/dining room, was another driver in the design.

The client, being a multidisciplinary artist and the director of strategy at an international fashion brand, had very clear ideas on the texture and materiality of the internal finishes and fixtures relating to a mid-century aesthetic and wished for the design to portray and evoke this look by the use of natural materials in bespoke and hand-crafted fittings and finishes.

We worked very closely with them at every stage of the project to help realise their vision to creat a quietly luxurious and luminous apartment with distinct references to mid-century modernism in a contemporary style.

The apartment is arranged around a dramatic double height entry hall and circulation space which visually connects the various rooms with new internal windows and glazed doors that overlook it.

A refined, limited palette of enduring materials such as oak, ribbed glass, terrazzo and brass ironmongery have been used throughout the flat creating functional, orderly spaces that serve as a backdrop to the owners’ artwork and furniture. New structural elements and services have been carefully incorporated and concealed into the new floors, partitions and bespoke fitted joinery.

The bathroom spaces are dramatically different to each other. The en-suite master bathroom being a light filled space with marble tiles, terrazzo floor and vanity basin, contrasted with pale wood Japanese bath and vanity unit joinery. 

The shower room in contrast embraces the lack of natural light by using dark, rustic quarry tiles, a coloured concrete basin and black WC pan. 

Of particular importance to achieving the quality and consistency of the key elements which tie the whole project together were the discussions and refinement of the design, detailing and materiality of the fitted joinery, internal doors and staircase with the contractor’s joinery specialist.

The reconfigured roof terrace has dramatic 360-degree views over London and is accessed from the kitchen/dining room staircase through a high-tech sliding-opening glass box rooflight.

The reconfigured roof terrace has dramatic 360-degree views over London and is accessed from the kitchen/dining room staircase through a high-tech sliding-opening glass box rooflight.