Project Description
LONDON, KENSINGTON, UK
ITALIAN STYLE MAISONETTE
The brief for this shabby repossessed flat, with an inaccessible patio garden, was to turn it into a luxury urban maisonette, with a little colour flair of Italy, with ample storage and a lovely new outdoor space. This very busy Italian client asked Petra to create a contemporary, elegant home with a big wish list for ample entertaining space; a well functioning kitchen; space for working from home; ample storage for a bicycle; golf clubs; luggage, a wine collection; shoes and clothes; a utility room; wall space to display paintings and art; space for lots of books in the living room; a smart guest bed and bathroom; a master bedroom with a substantial wardrobe space and en-suite bathroom; a feeling of spaciousness upon entering; a usable outdoor space; and a Bose sound system throughout.
This was achieved by integrating the kitchen into the living/dining room, opening up the entrance to the living room, and the use of mirror doors, together with clever lighting. The former kitchen was transformed into a utility room and the open space under the stairs was built-in in such a way as to hide the space
To increase the feeling of space in the living room, no tall units were used in the kitchen. The rubbish and recycling bins are accessible from the kitchen via a lid integrated into the worktop in the corner of the L-shape, but the actual removal of the bins is from the utility room.
Up and down lighting was integrated into the kitchen and living areas, custom made bookshelves with integrated lighting now accommodate a large selection of cookery and guide books, large display window sill were added and brushed chrome radiator covers became a modern feature in the stunning bay window. The L-shaped sofa was custom made to fit the available space exactly.
New hard wood flooring was fitted throughout, as were new stair coverings and a floating ceiling with changeable colour side-lighting/spot-lighting was fitted in the entrance hall, which also hides the fire and smoke sensors. The dated spindle bannister was replaced with a modern boxed bannister. Oversized architraves were fitted around the entrance, utility and living room doors, and a huge pocket door was made so the living room could be closed off when guests are staying. The entrance door was disguised with bookshelf wall paper, so it does not feel like an obvious entrance containing and the door to the utility room was hidden behind mirror, as is the door to the guest bathroom, to create a feeling os space and light.
In the Master Bedroom an extra large window sill was installed to act as a work desk and a new partition wall separates the en-suite, which has hidden storage and lit display space both in the bedroom and bathroom. Each bathroom is fully tiled with ample storage behind built in mirror cabinets and each under has under floor heating.
A 5-storey tree was removed from the patio garden, the flooring levelled and tiled with raised beds and drainage for water. A water tap and hose were also installed outside. Up and down lighters were added for safety and atmosphere.
