After purchasing the 14th and 15th floors of a new development adjacent to Paddington Basin, together with a roof terrace, the private owner of the empty shell duplex space commissioned renowned London architects and designers SHH to transform it into a luxurious, cool and contemporary penthouse, to serve as a London pied-à-terre for himself and his extended family. The resulting stylish and unique residence, the largest in the development and offering spectacular views over the city, is an oasis of calm, in considered contrast to its bustling, urban setting – just a short walk from Edgware Road.The brief from the client – with whom SHH had worked previously on a number of commercial schemes in the Middle East – was for the space to function effectively as a bespoke boutique hotel, so that any family member could stay in any of the five bedrooms at any time, whilst the differing functions each individual might also require from the penthouse were all to be subtly incorporated, without the overall space feeling disjointed. Originally two separate properties, the 14th and 15th floor apartments were merged to create the new penthouse via the installation of a new central staircase, creating a single residence of approximately 5,000sqft, including external terraces. It then fell to the SHH interiors team (led by Emlyn Conlon and René Dekker) to devise a cohesive, intelligent scheme which would unify the various spaces and deliver the beautifully-crafted environment the client desired.