Over years of use as bedsits, the layout of this five floor home in north London had become a muddle of disjointed rooms. Through our reconfiguration, we have given a considered footprint to each floor, making the most of its generous proportions and wonderfully high ceilings. Now each bedroom has its own bathroom – ideal when the owners’ teenage children want privacy. 

Introducing a sense of flow was key to our vision for the house. Between the kitchen, dining and living rooms we have used sliding doors and curtains to create separate yet cohesive spaces. Half glazed doors also offer an acoustic barrier between the dining area, kitchen and television zone.

The main bedroom suite makes the most of the space, spanning the whole width of the building. Salvaged Dutch etched glass doors screen bathing and sleeping spaces, while art deco chevron mirrors from the Unilever Building bring a bit of sparkle to the bespoke dressing room joinery.

Each suite has its own bathroom. Here, crittall doors reclaimed from the London School of Economics with their original paintwork set the palette for the blue and green second floor bathroom and dressing room. 

The top two floors were given over to the children. We reused an existing staircase, reconfiguring it so that it provides a passage to the top floor. The bedrooms are playfully clad in reclaimed tongue and groove floorboards.

A social common room spans the lower ground floor, with doors opening directly onto the garden. Our teenage-proof design for this space was inspired by an original London tube map. 

This project was featured by House and Garden.