Blue Steel Mezzanine | Architects for Camden | Highgate, North West London

A small cottage in our client’s garden, in Highgate, was under utilised but held great potential; that potential has now been realised. A new blue steel mezzanine has been inserted to run the length of the cottage to provide a significant increase in usable floor area. The cottage interior has enlivened to provide a simple but bold stand-alone accommodation for the in-laws. When the cottage is not being used by guests it retains the flexibility to provide a study area for the client’s daughters. Or in the evening it can be used as a party venue following dinner parties or where everyone can watch a film. To assist in the flexibility of space clever joinery will be incorporated to conceal the beds when they are not in use.

Gallery for a House | Architects for Belsize Park | Camden, North London

Don’t Move Improve | Architects for Belsize Park | Camden, North London

Don’t Move Improve. A new rear extension and house refurbishment in North West London improves a fine semi-detached house in Belsize Park. A series of angled facets reconnects the rear extension with the garden to give a unique architectural solution. As with most Victorian houses, the kitchen is too small for a house of this size. Only a modest kitchen sink window the offers a glimpse of the glorious gardens beyond. The client wanted the house to feel better connected to the garden. The extension is expressed as a series of solid and void angled facets. They have been used to set up a notional hierarchy to give a level of transparency between the house and garden. The kitchen enjoys a longer footprint with a frameless window to give views across the neighbouring gardens. Exposed timber joists incorporate low energy strip lighting across the kitche