A loft conversion and complete refurbishment were carried out on the top floor of a 1930s, two-storey semi-detached house in Willesden Green, located in the London Borough of Brent.
The apartment was thoughtfully expanded to create a new maisonette that included a loft and an internal roof terrace featuring a living wall. Originally, the roof had two pyramid roofs front and back with a valley in the middle. The front and rear roof profiles were preserved, while the central section was infilled to provide additional headroom and space for a new bedroom, bathroom, and accessible loft storage.
The main design challenge was to add outdoor space to a top-floor apartment without impacting the existing exterior appearance. This was achieved by leaving part of the new roof infill uncovered, creating an internal roof terrace that is fully walled and open to the sky, and not visible to the public from either the front or rear of the property.
Another design aim was to bring natural light into the apartment. Light from the new terrace was brought into the centre of the plan by installing full-height glazing on the internal elevation of the terrace. The full glazing also meant the loft floor was always bright. Additionally, the new staircase was positioned against the terrace glazing so that the light could pass through the stair core and provide a view of an evergreen living wall from the lower level.
The folded blackened steel stairs with metal uprights served as the space’s sculptural centrepiece. Unpainted grey plaster walls formed a backdrop, while other natural materials, including exposed timber rafters and plywood cladding, complemented the design.
Since the kitchen was open-plan and located in the same area as the new staircase, the finishes incorporating oak and brass and a Turkish marble island created a cohesive look. The flooring was intentionally understated, using fully sustainable acoustic linoleum to avoid distracting from the overall design.
This project served as an example of an architect’s self-build initiative.