opening up a space to living

the building was an old and poorly planned 3-storey apartment;
with the ground floor, however, opening out onto a potentially amazing north-facing garden

The brief

a home that opens its public spaces out to the garden; that makes an opportunity of living outside;
that pushes service spaces into the darker parts of the house; that opens the living spaces onto light and air and landscape

the idea

the overriding idea was to use the service spaces of the house (guest bathroom, cupboards, scullery, and staircase) In order to shape the internal movement route of the living floor – particularly the all-important entrance sequence
the building is organised with one thin and windy corridor leading you towards the main living spaces towards the north: as the corridor merges with the main living space, it funnels out – opening up towards the northern light
(the geometry of the corridor lines the user up with a special artwork that occupies the visual conclusion of the corridor)

the materials

the building uses only three very simple materials
all of the walls and built-in furniture are painted a very simple white the floors of the main living spaces are finished with a black slate tiles while, the floors of the service spaces are tiled white

the program

the main floor offers a guest bathroom, scullery, storage space, the kitchen, dining room, an internal lounge, an outside living space and an outside fireplace the lower floor provides parking space for two cars, a laundry and an odds-and-ends room
the upper floor offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms

closing thoughts

we must consciously reject the standard option boxes – the cliches and trends – and cultivate an appetite for thinking differently