Architectural Drawings: 12 London Mews, Flats and Homes in Plan

Explore London’s incredible diversity of residential design.

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London is home to some of the most innovative and beautiful residential architecture in the world. From historic Georgian townhouses to modern flats, the variety and creativity in London’s residential designs is remarkable. Looking closely at twelve residential projects across the city, we’re showcasing a range of unique floor plans. These plans not only reveal the functional and aesthetic considerations behind each design but also provide a glimpse into how Londoners live, adapt and thrive in this bustling metropolis.

Each of the following projects tells a story of architectural ingenuity and thoughtful design, reflecting the city’s dynamic blend of old and new. From the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings to contemporary structures, the floor plans illustrate how architects navigate London’s unique challenges—balancing space efficiency with comfort, incorporating green spaces in urban settings and preserving historical elements while embracing modern living standards. Delving into these floor plans, discover clever solutions and innovative layouts that make these residences not just places to live but expressions of creativity and lifestyle across London.

Walcot Square mews

By FORM studio, London, United Kingdom

Sandwiched between Georgian and Victorian terraces, the brief aimed to maximize rental potential and address long-term ownership requirements through detailed design and durable, low-maintenance materials. The brick-clad mews terrace draws inspiration from the robust detailing and proportions of the adjacent 19th-century terraces, featuring a modest two-story parapeted elevation that complements the surrounding buildings. A split-level section adds a third story of spacious accommodation at the lower ground floor level, opening onto west-facing sunken courtyard gardens. A detached house, set within a walled garden among mature trees, terminates the mews.

Sutherland Road

By Levitt Bernstein, London, United Kingdom

This development combines residential, medical and landscape design. The site, formerly occupied by semi-derelict industrial units, backs onto older terraced housing. The development provides 59 new affordable homes, a health centre, a shared communal garden and integrated landscaping throughout.

Designed as a cohesive whole, the scheme features an aesthetic inspired by its industrial setting, with robust and simple elements. Steeply pitched and saw-toothed roofs, along with brick and red corrugated metal cladding, reflect the local context and give the development a strong identity. The landscape design unifies the scheme.

The Old Dairy

By Studio Woodroffe Papa, London, United Kingdom

Once occupied by an Express Dairy depot, the site lies within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area and is bordered by Grade II listed housing and St. George’s Gardens. By collaborating with the ‘Friends of St. George’s Gardens’ and tapering the mixed-use building’s form to fit the triangular site and avoid tree canopies, the design preserved the park’s qualities.

Shallow pitched roofs and ‘folded’ elevations follow the tree line, reducing the building mass and harmonizing with the domestic rhythm of Regent’s Square while reflecting the industrial heritage of the former depot. The scheme, which includes 11 apartments, 2 townhouses and a B1 workspace, maximizes interior light through secluded patio gardens, skylights and screened roof terraces.

The Rye Apartments

By Tikari Works, London, United Kingdom

The Rye Apartments is a development of ten sustainable apartments—1, 2 and 3-bedroom units—on a prominent corner site. The design, developed through careful analysis of privacy, daylight and neighboring building forms, complements the surrounding context and history without relying on pastiche.

Clad in red masonry shingles, the buildings create a familiarity with the red/brown brick context while presenting a new urban composition. The sculptural forms and fenestration play across the façade, bringing daylight deep into the plan and adding character to the internal spaces. The cross laminated timber (CLT) frame sequesters 227 tons of carbon and is exposed on all walls and ceilings.

The Brexit Bunker

By RISE Design Studio, London, United Kingdom

The sunken garden room by RISE Design Studio, dubbed “the Brexit Bunker” by the client, was created to add a new studio and extend the house’s program without altering the existing building. Nestled at the rear of a small garden and connected by a patio paved in contemporary clay pavers reminiscent of the reclaimed bricks used for the garden walls, the Garden Studio offers a secluded sanctuary. Inside, the space surprises with a warm atmosphere filled with light, playing on built-in joinery made of birch plywood. Storage units double as Spanish steps leading to a roof light, providing a relaxing spot surrounded by the sounds of birds, creating a countryside feel within the city.

Chapel

By Craftworks, London, United Kingdom

Chapel is a family home carved from a derelict religious building, designed to adapt without alteration for family gatherings or to become singular and introverted. The design involved constructing a lower ground level for sleeping quarters, a large ground floor living space with a vaulted ceiling and a mezzanine level for privacy and retreat within the living space’s volume.

The architectural vocabulary was reimagined, combining structural components like axis and nave with dwelling archetypes to create a unique living environment. The interior blends elements like pulpits and confessionals with domestic furniture, harmonizing the home’s historical essence with modern living needs.

Forest Mews

By Stolon Studio, London, United Kingdom

Forest Mews is a redevelopment of an urban brownfield site into a sustainable community of three live/work houses arranged around a multi-functional shared courtyard. The design balances natural light and thermal performance using triple glazing and high-performance insulation in the walls, floors and roof.

The communal courtyard is landscaped with a geometric mix of resin-bound gravel and planting beds, connected to brick piers. Each house has a semi-private outdoor room that serves multiple functions, such as a grand entrance porch, external terrace and atrium. The roof, lifted in two corners to bring light into the living space, is finished with a reflective ‘armadillo’ ceiling, enhancing the sense of openness.

Woodview Mews

By Geraghty Taylor Architects, London, United Kingdom

The unique Livinhome design prioritizes flexibility, allowing for easy customization with different designs and layouts to reflect personal preferences and life changes. A variety of standard layouts can be adapted with a range of exteriors and interiors, catering to the owners’ design and lifestyle choices. The three principal plan layouts are easily modified to create diverse accommodation arrangements. This flexibility enables changes with minimal physical intervention, enhancing the ability of individuals and communities to recycle and reuse their housing assets. This innovative approach fosters a sense of longevity and resilience in housing communities.

Wendell Road

By Tate Harmer Architects, London, United Kingdom

Tate Harmer extended this family house in Shepherds Bush, west London, using exposed timber throughout, from floorboards to structural overhead beams. The extension features a distinctive geometric, semi-arched profile, creating an arcaded effect that leads to a cantilevered covered patio, subtly breaking the boundary between inside and outside.

The exposed structural wooden beams are a central design feature, with roof lights slotting between them at regular intervals. These beams extend into built-in bookcases, creating seamless cabinetry. Glue laminated timber (glulam) was used for its excellent weight-to-strength ratio and warm appearance, a rare choice for domestic buildings.

Glass Box

By Studio 304 Architecture, London, United Kingdom

A frameless glass box extension brings abundant light and stunning views of the adjacent park into the ground floor living spaces of this Victorian end-of-terrace home. Shaded by the orientation of the existing house, the new glazed element maximizes the unique view.

A restrained palette of ceramic tiles, spray-lacquered MDF and dark-stained oak creates a practical space with clean lines and warmth. Darker ceramic tiles finish the kitchen splashback and storage recesses, while dark oak clads the recesses to accentuate depth. The enlarged window seat and opaque basement window are also lined with dark oak, their frames hidden within the joinery, similar to the structural steel supporting the glass box.

Elmwood Court

By C.F. Møller Architects, London, United Kingdom

This is a 5-story, 22-unit affordable housing scheme for Peabody. Situated on an open, underutilized car park, the building aligns with the land-use pattern of the remaining Victorian terraces, featuring ground floor retail and housing above. The texture of the brickwork at ground level varies to distinguish the public areas from the residences above. The design features horizontal variation on the façade by projecting living spaces on alternate floors, relating subtly to the adjacent Victorian terrace’s window rhythm.

The residential mix includes 1 to 3-bedroom units with 12 affordable rented units in the east core and 10 shared ownership apartments in the west core. This strategy minimizes long internal corridors and maximizes the number of flats with double exposure. The majority of apartments feature dual aspect living spaces and two balconies, one facing southeast and another northwest.

Dujardin Mews

By Karakusevic Carson Architects, London, United Kingdom

Dujardin Mews, the London Borough of Enfield’s first council-led social housing project in 40 years, is a collaboration between Karakusevic Carson Architects and Maccreanor Lavington. Offering a mix of 38 one to four-bedroom dual-aspect homes, the development includes generous amenity spaces such as terraces, courtyards, in-plot parking, balconies and spacious back gardens. The design focuses on creating a domestic and intimate character inspired by typical London streets, featuring high-quality, varied brickwork and fine metalwork to ensure the new homes age gracefully while blending harmoniously with the surrounding housing and London’s vernacular.