In this project for a landscape architect and dance instructor, our
design combined two floors of an Islington Victorian terrace into a live-work
space, with studio and study areas linked by a new day-lit internal
stairway.
To establish the brief, we work closely with the clients to
understand their lifestyles and working patterns, designing spaces for
music and movement during dance practice, as well as areas for quiet
reflection and drawing under natural light.
Observing how the household enjoys a direct connection with the lush
garden on the ground floor (e.g. breakfast in the conservatory
surrounded by greenery), we propose to extend this relationship with
nature and light upwards via the new stairway. On the upper floor, the
master bedroom and new study are sited such that they overlook into the
garden. Daylight is also channelled into the building core by a skylight
carefully positioned over the new stairs and bathroom. Solid Oak flooring is used through out. That; combined with the walls which are stripped back to reveal a rich texture of exposed brickwork forms an earthy palette of colour and materiality throughout the transformed space.