Raum Loft | WILLIAM TOZER Associates

A loft apartment in Soho, London, by WILLIAM TOZER Associates
The ceiling and exterior walls of this loft apartment in Soho are treated as found objects, including elements of exposed timber and steel structure, and existing windows and brickwork. Within this found-object container, the new scheme is articulated as a series of timber and white-painted planes and volumes that loosely divide the space—providing open-plan living, dining, and kitchen space, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms that can be separated by closing hidden doors. The kitchen units are also clad in timber, appearing as sculptural elements at a smaller scale, kitchen appliances are either concealed or expressed as functional furnishings. The lighting is similarly either hidden, providing a wash of light over the architectural composition, or attached to the surface, expressed as furnishings. The timber structure of the ceiling visually elongates the space, drawing the eye to the bustling streetscape, and this is reinforced by the direction of the new floorboards.

The open-plan scheme focuses views on the bustling streetscape of London. One enters the apartment either via a lift between the master suite and shower room, or via a door into the study area of the open-plan living space. Entering the apartment from the lift, one can look left into the shower room or right into the master suite. The master suite features a bath separated from the sleeping area by a full-height clear glass screen. From the master suite one looks back through the lift entry area, with the shower room beyond. Looking straight ahead from the lift entry is the kitchen, with a secondary living area off to the right, separable into a second bedroom by concealed doors.