When we first saw the flat, we had to really look past its dire condition (and the piles of rubbish) to see the potential. What really attracted my attention was idea of opening up the flat to the attic space - this also provided an opportunity to add a second floor, known in the UK as a loft conversion.
I knew straight away that I wanted to get rid of the ceiling and expose the wood structure that supports the roof - looking past the layers of dust, there was so much character, especially in the age and patina of the wood. Exposing the underside of the roof would also create a double-height, cathedral-style ceiling.
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| The Attic |
The existing layout was awful - it would also have to go. So much wasted space! If the idea is to open up to the attic, then the plan would have to be opened up, and simplified. The living room space could be enlarged by re-locating the kitchen closer to the bathroom. This would effectively put all the “closed” room together as efficiently as possible into a single volume tucked under the 2nd level...you could almost say we’re lofting a Victorian flat...  |
| Final Design - View from Dining Table |
The trick to this became making everything fit into as small a area as comfortably possible so as to maximize the open space. As is often the case, it all came down to the bathroom and kitchen...and in this case it was all about the kitchen. After many sketches and schemes, I realized that the kitchen layout would be determined by the clever arrangement of the appliances...and that was about it--there was no extra space! The compact layout is hidden by losing two of the kitchen walls, opening the kitchen to the living area and adding a bar counter--which would help hide the “stuff” of a kitchen, as well as provide additional counter and entertaining space. Once this was worked out, the resulting dimensions set the wall of the living area, and the bathroom layout fell into place.
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| Final Design - View from Living area |
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| Final Design - View of Kitchen |
