House in Chelsea
The remodelling of this terraced house in Chelsea required creative solutions to maximise natural light on a tight enclosed urban plot. A pair of cantilevering staircases - one in concrete, one a timber spiral - allow light to filter through the building, whilst a large structural glass floor and balustrade create a day-lit basement with a view of sky. A simple palette of oak, white concrete, plaster and glass maintain a calm interior allowing spaces to flow together and feel larger than their constituent parts.
Confronted with a tight plot in a Conservation Area, measuring under five metres wide and twelve metres deep, hemmed in on three sides by existing buildings, and with a narrow front boundary, inventive solutions were required to best retrofit this existing mews house.
The property had undergone a poor quality refurbishment in the 1990s which had sought to maximise internal area without considering in the internal quality of the spaces. An existing half height cellar was discovered by the new owners, but was entirely closed off with no means of access.
A marginal tweak in the plan, squaring things to the front elevation, established a greater order to the interior, enabling two riser zones in opposite corners. A simple palette of materials maintains a calm mood which allows the spaces to flow together and feel larger than their constituent parts.
New floors were installed whilst the glazed infill rooflight was removed, and in a move counter to prevailing ‘commercial’ logic, internal space was sacrificed to re-instate the original rear courtyard to provide much needed external amenity off the main living accommodation.
The existing cellar was lowered to create a basement, although this is entirely within the building with no external windows. Again, counter to the logic of pure square meterage, we sought a solution that offered real benefit to the basement space. A double height volume was created over a new stair to the basement and a frameless glass window to the courtyard floods both floors with light. A 5 metre long structural glass balustrade laminated to a glass beam supports a glass floor which provides a dramatic focal point, but serves the entirely practical purpose of maximising usable floor area, whilst enabling a basement with a view of the sky.
A pair of cantilevering stairs, one concrete, one a timber spiral, allow light to permeate through open risers to the spaces below. A simple corridor with bedrooms and bathroom is located on the first floor. The second floor was reordered to maximise the relationship with the rear roof terrace. Large sliding doors open out onto the terrace framed by the rear party wall beyond, helping the space feel much larger.
The architectural solutions compensate for the loss of square area by creating more engaging and valuable spaces, maximising the potential of a very tight urban plot. The ground floor and basement gain generosity through the double height volume; the basement maintains privacy and intimacy whilst still having abundant light; the rear courtyard provides a much better balance of interior and exterior, whilst large opening glazed panels and uninterrupted floor finishes allow it to become an outdoor room.
