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.