Apartment with a Mezzanine
Every project is an opportunity to achieve the impossible. This loft conversion and top-to-bottom reconfiguration transformed a dark, cramped one-bedroom apartment into a bright, multi-level family home.
This project transformed a a dark, one-bedroom maisonette, into a bright, efficiently designed miniature house.
By replacing the old roof with an energy-efficient one, we created a new space for a mezzanine level – introducing dramatic spatial variety – and floods the interior with natural light through large skylights.
Thoughtful material choices (exposed timber, raw plaster) enhance texture and emphasise the play of light and shadow across the home.
With three distinct floors, the home now moves seamlessly from an intimate, moody lower level to a bright and expansive top floor, evolving with the time of day and the passing of the seasons.
This flat is part of a large semi-detached house that was converted into three apartments in the 1970s. The project transformed one of these—a dark, one-bedroom maisonette—into a bright, efficiently designed miniature house. This was achieved by reconfiguring the staircase to enable a more functional layout and extending into the loft. The goal was to create a highly efficient family home without compromising on spatial quality or natural light. For the architect-owners, this was also an opportunity to experiment with new spatial configurations in both plan and section.
The completed design spans three stories, much like a compact house, adding three new rooms and integrating two large roof lights that enhance the connection to the outdoors. Because the flat occupies the rear outrigger of the converted semi, planning restrictions prevented the addition of a dormer to the new loft space. Instead, a hip-to-gable extension was used to increase the usable area. To further maximize headroom, the design relied on strategically placed large roof lights, which not only compensated for the limited ceiling height but also flooded the previously dark interior with natural light.
Selected projects
House in the Forest
Appearance, construction and performance should go hand in hand. This forest retreat was designed to maintain a cool indoor temperature during the hot Japanese summers.
Only an hour and a half from their home in Tokyo, this red cottage provides a retreat for the owners from their urban city life. An escape from the city is good for the body and soul, especially during the hot and humid summer.
Situated in the presence of Mount Fuji and close to the scenic Sai Lake, this cottage blends images of Scandinavian cottages with a roof geometry that nods to traditional Japanese shrine architecture.
The whole building is designed around the size of the tatami mat, a rectangle measuring approximately 90 x 180 cm. This informs the grid of the layout and every elements is a multiple of this size to ensure efficiency in material use.
A dramatic interior is created by the tall roof, which is supported internally by a tree-like column made from local timber. As hot air rises, it is expelled in vents on either side of the clerestory window, creating a stack effect that in turn draws in air from the cool surrounding forest floor.
Selected projects
Apartment with a Terrace
Sunlight and space are modern essentials. This apartment reconfiguration, refurbishment and new kitchen extension brings warmth and flow to a previously constrained layout.
The extension, designed with London stock bricks, lead flashings, and a hybrid of steel and timber beams, sits over an existing roof terrace to make the most of its south-facing position. Inspired by conservatory-style architecture, it enhances openness and floods the space with natural light.
Inside, carefully repositioned partitions improve flow and make previously small rooms feel more generous, creating a home that feels expansive despite its compact footprint.
Selected projects
Musicians’ House
Why build more when you can enhance what already exists? In a culture that values resource consciousness, this is an essential question to ask. With this mindset, we transformed a modest 1960s terraced house into a bright, welcoming family home.
The owners, both professional musicians, needed a home that could frame family life while also providing space for music rehearsals and lessons. Removing unnecessary corridors and opening the plan was central to creating rooms that feel generous, flexible, and fit for their lifestyle.
Openness was not only about function, but also about light. Today, the moment you enter, your gaze is drawn through the home to the lush green garden beyond, illuminated by sunlight pouring through an oversized new window. What was once a long, dark corridor now flows seamlessly into the main family room, where the kitchen and dining areas sit. The enlarged space allows for a more natural furniture arrangement and a newly integrated staircase, connecting the levels in an entirely fresh way.
The entire house has been finished with breathable lime plaster—an elegant and functional material that requires no further painting. Beyond its appearance, lime plaster naturally regulates humidity and temperature, creating a healthier indoor environment. By inhibiting mould and bacteria growth and absorbing airborne pollutants, it actively contributes to cleaner air and long-term wellbeing.
A central chimney stack, once a heavy obstruction, was removed to unlock new possibilities. This allowed the front room to connect with the kitchen through a large sliding door. The space now serves flexibly—intimate enough for music lessons, yet able to expand and merge with family life when the doors are open.
Upstairs, the removal of the chimney enabled a more efficient layout. Larger bedrooms, a reconfigured bathroom, and a new utility space bring both comfort and practicality to the upper floor.
To introduce a sense of drama and verticality, the ceiling above the stair was opened, drawing the eye upwards to a new rooflight positioned eight metres overhead. This striking gesture floods the stairwell with natural light and transforms it into a dynamic focal point.
The entire house is now powered by an air-source heat pump and underfloor heating. Freed from fossil fuels and fully removed from the gas grid, the home embodies a sustainable, forward-looking approach to modern living.
Selected projects
House of Mirrors
The way we live has evolved—and our homes must evolve with us. By blending functionality with elegant minimalism, this four-storey maisonette was reimagined and given a new life.
Over the years, houses accumulate countless small alterations that obscure their true potential. Layers of changes build up, often resulting in compromised layouts and subpar living experiences. We uncovered this hidden potential by returning to first principles—drawing, rethinking, and reimagining. From these insights, we performed precise and purposeful “house surgery.”
The rear outrigger posed the greatest challenge in the existing plan. On entering, there was no real sense of arrival, no space that welcomed you home. It also contained the kitchen, which was disconnected from the rest of the house and provided only limited dining space.
This area was completely transformed. It now accommodates a collection of essential auxiliary spaces: a WC, utility room, wardrobes, and a study/guest bedroom. To enhance the sense of openness, one wall was clad floor-to-ceiling with mirror, reflecting the warmth of a bespoke oak wardrobe opposite.
The kitchen was relocated to the first floor, where a new opening in the spine wall created a tall, light-filled space that brings kitchen, dining, and living together. Finishes were carefully considered, forming a pared-back palette that unifies the bespoke kitchen, fitted furniture, and shelving. South-facing, the kitchen glows with natural light, its brightness amplified by a mirrored wall that ties together the stainless-steel worktop and the soft canvas-grey tones of the surrounding elements.
Another precise intervention was the reconfiguration of the second-floor hallway. Originally narrow and cramped, it now feels generous and inviting thanks to taller, wider openings. A new linen cupboard and shelving bring both practicality and visual interest to the space.
The main bedroom continues the theme of functional elegance with bespoke oak and rattan wardrobes and shelving, balancing natural warmth with refined simplicity.
Throughout, the property has been upgraded and renewed, with improvements to electrical systems, plumbing, heating, and plasterwork—ensuring the home not only looks transformed but also functions as it should for a more effortless contemporary living.
Selected projects
Low-Energy Family Home
Maximising space is about more than square footage. It’s about creating flow. This is how we turned an aged semi-detached house into a contemporary low-energy home for a young family to grow into.
Once dark and disconnected, the ground floor is now open and bright, with a view stretching from the front door straight through to the garden. A figure-of-eight flow creates fluidity between spaces, while new sliding doors improve transitions and bring in natural light
The kitchen is now the central hub of family life, from cooking to homework and socialising. A new air source heat pump powers the home, ensuring energy efficiency. Cork and zinc materials bring both resilience and natural beauty, while rubber flooring upstairs provides a softer, more comfortable surface underfoot.
Our clients approached us with a vision to transform their newly purchased semi-detached house in North London. Having previously lived in a central London apartment, this move marked a significant transition for the family—a shift to a spacious suburban home with a garden. The house had been extended in the past, but its layout was inefficient, and it required modernisation and upgrading. The brief we were given was to extend further into the garden, convert the loft, create a more functional internal layout, and significantly enhance the home’s energy efficiency.
A fundamental aspect of the renovation was reducing the house’s long-term environmental impact. To achieve this, we prioritised upgrading the external fabric to surpass modern insulation standards and incorporated sustainable technologies to improve energy efficiency. The existing single-skin blockwork extension was repurposed and extended, upgraded with an insulated cavity, and finished with external cork cladding to provide a high-performance and sustainable solution. An air-source heat pump was installed to supply all heating and hot water needs, working in combination with underfloor heating to ensure warmth while minimising reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, a four-metre-wide triple-glazed rooflight was installed above the northeast-facing extension, providing natural daylight and maintaining a bright atmosphere throughout the day.
Selected projects
House of Timber
Sustainability starts with longevity. This low-carbon home is designed to evolve over time, ensuring comfort and ease of movement for its residents.
A daylight assessment informed the design, bringing in as much natural light as possible despite the tight urban site. Nearly every element, from structure to finishes, is made of timber, which fits seamlessly into its Victorian surroundings. Expanded cork material was chosen to blend in with the neighbouring brick facades, adding warmth and texture.
Inside, a carefully planned layout enhances flow, while the integration of a lift ensures the home remains practical and accessible for years to come.
