REGENT’S PARK LOFT
The loft was created out of the attic of an Edwardian mansion block built in 1907 and located just off Regent’s Park in Central London. The original steel trusses were restored and a new mezzanine floor created by building a new dormer window and combining it with the unused turret to get enough head height. This mezzanine became a separate bedroom suite comprising a living room, raised sleeping area and the turret was repurposed into a wet room, all accessed by a hidden staircase behind the foyer wall panelling.
The palette of materials was kept to a minimum. The wide natural oak planks concealed integrated underfloor heating to avoid the need for radiators cluttering the space. The loft is fully air-conditioned with the diffusers disguised as long, thin black slots at high level. Apart from the dark panelling in the foyer, the walls and wardrobes are all white. All the WCs are clad in narrow porcelain stone tiles which unified the sloping walls and odd angles of the existing roof structure into a more coherent whole. The same tiles in a larger format were used for the WC floors and joinery. The vanity unit sinks were cast in a single piece of white Corian, except for the turret, where a cylindrical marble basin was placed as a sculptural element against the restored round metal window.
A new gas fireplace was installed and the chimney clad in Grigio Veronese sandstone. A large inset monitor displays a Bill Viola video, when not being used as a television. Other artworks in the loft include two William Klein prints of a 1960s New York fashion shoot plus an Ellen von Unwerth print of David Bowie and Kate Moss. The lighting in the apartment is all concealed, save for some spotlights installed along the bottom chord of the trusses to illuminate the artwork.
