A distinctive brief from a young couple with two children: redesign the lower floor of their duplex, which contains their living spaces.At the entrance, we needed to rethink the space beneath the staircase, previously occupied by a contemporary shelving unit the owners loved, with solid-oak shelves and glass uprights. With nowhere else for it to go, we decided to make it a feature. A bespoke wardrobe and desk now frame it, while a raised base and overhead element make this ready-made piece appear to be a fully bespoke installation!
At the other end of the living space was a dull, impractical kitchen. Our architectural approach was to open it fully to the living area, defining its boundary with a large dining table. Bulky tall units were concealed, allowing base and wall cabinets to frame a generous, uninterrupted worktop.
A niche between the two windows of the double reception room was fitted with solid-oak shelves proportioned to match those of the entrance unit, creating coherence and harmony.
Upstairs, the principal bedroom was also reconfigured. The bed, previously facing the window, now runs alongside it, with a bespoke headboard incorporating niches and reading lights. This extends into a bespoke dressing area behind a partition that stops short of the ceiling, preserving a sense of space. A projecting TV unit sits on the partition like a framed picture, with a recess for the set-top box and DVD player. Light flows above the partition, preventing the dressing area from feeling enclosed.
A project that began with a question about the entrance and the space beneath the stairs became a bright, distinctive redesign of the home as a whole.
