Designed for a young client who wanted to convert his stayed and standard maisonette in Kensington, London, into a contemporary loft apartment for entertaining. All the internal partitions, floors and existing contrived staircase of this triplex apartment were removed presenting a blank canvas of the existing structure.
The new staircase is cantilevered off an exposed brick clad wall imported from Denmark, which runs the full height of the house and conceals the structural steelwork behind. The oak clad open treads and cantilevered glass balustrade allows light to flood down from the rooflight high above, as well as allowing borrowed light to filter through from both the front and rear windows.
The previously small living spaces are now open plan with the Kitchen at its heart, between the Reception and mezzanine Dining area. The purposefully designed double-sided wine rack and openings in the staircase allow a separation of space yet also a connection, with glimpses through to the spaces beyond and above.
On the upper floor, the existing double butterfly roof was exposed and the new ceilings installed to follow these lines, allowing ceiling heights throughout to be maximised and sculptural. The new rooflight nestles in the roof pitch of the resultant space over the staircase.