Project Description
BLACKHEATH, LONDON, UK
URBAN 3BED APARTMENT
The brief was to transform this very tired 3 bedroom flat with 1 bathroom into a bright, chic, urban home. The client wanted a big open living space; an en-suite bathroom to the master bedroom; a main bathroom for guests; an office; hall storage for coats, shoes, the fuse board, suitcases; and space for a rather large kit for piped music.
To achieve this, the former living room and kitchen were opened up to create a spacious, open plan kitchen/dining/living room. This new large room was narrowed to the width of the former kitchen and a part of the former, wider living room was used to enlarge the space of the former bathroom and hall. A new entrance was created into the open plan living room with an oversized floor to ceiling glass door, which now provides ample light to a small, previously completely dark entrance hall.
This new wider space created for the bathrooms, now accommodates an en-suite shower room to the master bedroom; a main bathroom accessible from the main entrance hall, and a useful hall storage cupboard. The storage cupboard, which now houses the fuse board, a piped music control centre, shoes and coats, as well as the main bathroom door are hidden behind a wall of mirrors, which further creates the illusion of space and light in the entrance hall.
In the kitchen, a mirror splash back connects with the living room even whilst facing away from it. The island provides a seamless connection to the living/dining room and space for a quick breakfast or meal. The tall fridge/freezer and pull out larder units divide the kitchen and dining room areas and are backed with tall cupboards, which provide ample storage on the dining room side.
The newly created ensuite shower room was given a large glass shower cubicle and ample storage, which is provided by a series of shallow mirror fronted cabinets, filling the back wall entirely, all the way up to the ceiling. Underfloor heating plus a heated towel rail and a radiator placed in a recess provide variable heat sources for comfort.
The smallest, middle bedroom was turned into an office, where high gloss cabinets and open book shelves were combined to create a luxury, easy to access office storage area, providing substantial storage for books and folders.
In the section of the hall outside the bedrooms, the ceiling was lowered substantially to provide easy to access overhead storage, through an almost invisible drop down ceiling panel.
A very boring entrance door to the flat was given a new identity through new panelling and a modern architrave suggesting an oversized door, thereby giving the illusion of height. Directly opposite this entrance door is an entire wall covered in mirror, to add further to the illusion of space and brightness.
