Private Residence London

ONE HOUSE , TWO FAMIL IES AND 25 YEARS.

Over recent years the studio has committed to the design of fewer private residences. At the end of each project I’m still shocked by the energy and time required to produce what is always a unique ‘one-off’ environment, requiring continuous intensity to achieve the refined quality – which gives the project its vitality and life.

However this project was simply too charming an offer, not to commit to the two year programme. In the mid eighties when in partnership with Daniel Weil we designed a family home in central London for an American client, based in Germany.

Twelve years later they sold the property to a second family, also based in Germany. Who after living in the house for a decade and with the needs of a growing family required an expanded living space. They were fortunate enough to be able to buy the property next door and presented the studio with a fascinating brief.

“ We love the original project but need more space, we don’t want to lose the qualities we value and have enjoyed with pleasure for so long. So please expand and reinvigorate our family home but don’t dare loose the values we hold dear”.

ONE HOUSE , TWO FAMIL IES AND 25 YEARS. How could we refuse?

01

The new design project Within the original project we opened up the ground floor and extended the rear with a small conservatory to provide a laundry, kitchen storage and plant room. The open kitchen was positioned centrally within the space to reflect the clients desire to place cooking and the enjoyment of food at the heart of the house.

With the new project we remodelled this layout keeping the kitchen in the same position but reconfigured around new units and appliances. We opened through to the new adjacent property and initiated major structural work, to achieve the same floor level between the two properties.

Both conservatories from the original house were now in need of replacing and in order to enjoy the garden space to its full potential, we programmed external decking to seamlessly link through with the interior wood floor.

02

ground floor

03

The conservatory, which was refurbished as part of the original project was no longer viable and was replaced with a larger structural glass garden room, to maximise the contribution of the north facing light and create a fluid, expansive connection between the internal and external spaces, enhanced with a subtitle lighting scheme, coordinated through both spaces.

The large wall cupboard is reflective of the extensive project furniture designed for all the interior spaces. In this instance the unit contains ample storage with a large format TV, audio system and a contemporary gas fireplace.

04

At the rear of the new property we inherited windows into a nondescript internal courtyard with limited day light. In order to improve the quality of this light and to provide enhanced privacy, we designed a new opaque glass lightbox to sit within the original window run and installed a daylight LED lighting scheme. Creating refined diffused lighting, which

enhanced the daylight within this rear space, which could also be closed off with a large concealed sliding glass door.

The same device was used to achieve privacy on the outside elevation of the new structural glass conservatory.

ground floor

07

08

The original first floor was completely refurbished and updated with as light a touch as possible with a new half landing creating a link through to the new adjacent first floor, which suffered from a claustrophobic internal hall, with no daylight penetration.

To specially enrich this space and to achieve daylight, we inserted a stair link to a new second floor, which was cantilevered off the dividing party wall.

The sound proof curving wall which encloses three new children’s bedrooms and bathroom was workshop manufactured from sandblasted sycamore and designed to visually soften the wall makeing it a kinder more intimate surface, not a heavy oppressive architectural wall.

first floor

The fluid sycamore wall was also designed as a counterpoint to the curving blue handrail of the original project stair link, which was refurbished.

Each of the children’s bedrooms were designed with the same furniture, to prevent any hierarchy, with each coloured differently, red, green and blue.

first floor

11

Each of the bathroom/shower room’s utilised the small spaces within the original Georgian property and the design project focused on maximising the perception of spaciousness. This we achieved with the subtle, rich lighting, the integration of mirrored storage and the use of a single micro mosaic through all these confined spaces

12

second floor The new second floor was a godsend to the client as it allowed for a private roof terrace, which is a rarity in this central London location. After lengthy and complex negotiations with the planners we also created an additional floor on the original property – creating a generous living/working space, with the adjacent private roof terrace.

15

Project drawings

proposed ground floor

In addition to the architectural and construction CAD drawings we produced extensive project renderings, to help the client discuss and develop each of the interior spaces and how they linked and sequenced within the whole. How each space would function and the balance between project furniture, designed by ourselves with selected standard pieces from leading manufacturers

16

Project drawings

proposed first floor

Throughout the duration of the project and given the client’s time pressure and availability to visit site together (it was rare to enjoy both of them in London at the same time). We programmed the use of renders throughout the project development before realising the final designs, even within the smaller bathroom spaces. Such as a first floor shower room, which at 1600 X 1600 was, a tiny space but proved one of the warmest and most enjoyable in the final project.

18

Project drawings

proposed second floor

Within the project we mixed both standard products and designed pieces for all areas within the house, such as a desk on the second floor and a new bench for the ground floor. For both we produced development renders to show design and layout options -such as the combination of the Hadid Moon sofa by B&B Italia combined with the Hans Wagner PP130 armchair.

20

Tony Cragg The clients are big fans of Memphis and had a collection of original pieces including a number of my own. They also collected contemporary art with a highly refined and personal viewpoint. A Tony Cragg sculpture was a scheduled piece for the enclosed garden, a space that was basically ignored within in the original project.

22

Below the floating decking we carefully positioned two concrete platforms to take the weight of cast or stone sculptures.

23

The original design project The original property centred on a Georgian house in central London, which while enjoying a fabulous location, suffered from the internal spaces being small, sometimes cramped and badly out of date.

24

Where possible after extensive propping, we opened up as many spaces as possible to maximise the daylight within all of the interior spaces. As previously stated cooking was an important part of the clients’ family life so we positioned the kitchen centrally within the new open plan ground floor.

We also respected many of the original decorative door, window and architrave details and initiated contemporary design conversations by balancing many of the windows with cubist shutters and the architraves with a twist on the intersections of complex decorative mouldings.

We also enjoyed the need to include the client’s young children within the design scope. Illustrated by the leather box step at the bottom of the stair, which could be pulled away (to prevent the children wandering upstairs) and which had a secret toy box within.

The original stair handrail was replaced with a new design where at low level we incorporated a child’s handrail, made from beautifully handcrafted walking sticks, which we found in one of London’s oldest retail shops James Smith & Sons in Holborn.

25

26

The original project designed in collaboration with Daniel Weil involved both the architectural project and the design of extensive furniture for each of the spaces. The green window was revealed when we stripped away some internal walls and we decide its position would be ideal, positioned within a child’s bedroom.

The quarter circle entrance cupboard served the function of partly blocking the view into the conservatory, when answering the front door and the side face was achieved from the spraying of multiple layers of pink lacquered onto a standard sheet of rippled galvanised metal roofing - indicative of the extent of the design innovation explored throughout the project.

For the original project together with Daniel we produced two large oval drawings at the end of the project to illustrate the design ideas central to the scheme design - some realised, many omitted. These drawings were common practice within the studio at the time and are an enjoyable reflection of two designers in collaborative conservation to achieve a common goal, while each maintaining their independent voice.

28

GERARD TAYLOR / Design Studio 1 Butler House, First Floor, 51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT T. 020 7739 8208 e-mail. gerry@gerardtaylor.com skype. gerardtaylor.com

www.gerardtaylor.com