Bow
Quarters is a beautiful seven-acre Grade-II listed residential development set
within a historic site of the converted Bryant and May matchbox factory. The
site is separated from the Olympic Park by the Blackwall Tunnel.
The
proposal required ingenious almost ‘Rubik-cube like’ solutions to meet the
ambitious programmatic brief of the client to convert a mezzanine apartment to
a two-bedroom apartment whilst responding to the challenging structural
constraints. Studio Verve arrived at a design solution that provided a dramatic
sequence of spatial experience within the walls and high industrial windows of
the original factory whilst meeting the requirements of the client’s brief.
The
entire interiors including the existing mezzanine structure was completely
gutted; and reinserted with a new mezzanine structure to take advantage of the
high volume industrial space. A feature Ipe timber fin wall bisects the volume;
with an Oak stairs leading one up to the mezzanine bedroom with a frameless
glass balustrade overlooking the dramatic double-height lounge and dining
space below. A concealed door is created within the fin wall- that leads into
the ground floor bedroom, bathroom and media/storage utility. A full-height
bookshelf separates the cloak cabinet space and kitchen from the main lounge
looking onto the original high industrial window. The linearity of the timber fins contrast well against the exposed walls of the original factory and the new oak flooring. Feature micro-mosaic tiling is consistently used as both the black-splash to a lava black kitchen and bespoke wash hand basin counter and bath. All joinery was bespoke-designed to accommodate as much storage within the overall volume whilst providing a calm well-detailed scheme.