A full refurbishment of a duplex penthouse in a listed warehouse overlooking Camden Lock.
Serving as a London base, the duplex was envisaged as a backdrop or ‘stage set’ to the client’s creative activities, and a dramatic space for entertaining.
Programmatically, the lower floor served as an open-plan living/dining/music performance area. An adjacent kitchen could either open up to the main space or close itself off by means of a timber shutter.
Upstairs, a master suite was designed with a movable central partition, allowing the space to be separated into a bedroom and study when required. Two further bedrooms, a shower room and a walk-in wardrobe were also located on the upper floor.
In keeping with this notion of a ‘cinematic and artificial’ space, a heady and intense palette of materials was used. Plasterboard ceilings were removed from the lower floor, and the exposed soffit was structural soffit was painted black to evoke a theatre space. External walls were clad in brick slips, and a rustic dark oak floor was laid along with areas of exposed cement screed.
The kitchen featured joinery with bright copper laminate (referencing the warehouses’ history as a gin distillery), end-on merbau plywood panelling, and stainless-steel worksurfaces.
The stair core features peened stainless-steel screening with woven mesh infills. An experimental fully illuminated Corian handrail was designed to light the main staircase.
The upstairs spaces employed a lighter and gentler palette, but still keeping an industrial edge. Paler tones and subtly patterned wallpapers soften the bedroom spaces in comparison to the floor below.
Bathrooms featured stainless steel mosaics, Corten effect tiles, and angular sanitaryware. A hidden powder room set below the main staircase has a bright green tile, creating an impactful surprise when the door is opened.
Hatterwan designed the lighting scheme for the project. In the main space a series of ceiling-mounted rails carry miniature stage lights with barn doors, and a projector is hung from the ceiling to project backdrops directly onto the lounge walls.
Hatterwan also provided interior design services for the project, specifying all furniture and soft furnishings.
Another penthouse project can be found here.
Architect: Hatterwan Architects
Structural engineer: Mason Navarro Pledge
Main Contractor: Sond Construction Ltd