Bermondsey Warehouse Loft apartment

Located in a Victorian warehouse, the particular industrial character and scale of this loft space had previously been lost beneath the raised floors, lowered ceilings, and partition walls of a neat but spatially conventional 1990s apartment fit-out. Realising that he did not really need two separate bedrooms and that his aspirations for a more relaxed and flexible Loft-style live/work environment were not being met by the original fit out, the owner approached FORM in 2010 to see what alterations might be made to better meet his needs. Lengthy and enjoyable discussion ultimately led to the conclusion that the 1990s fit-out should be stripped out in its entirety and a more radical approach adopted; the final conclusion of which is perhaps one of the most abstracted and minimalist domestic projects that FORM has completed to date. Storage, bathroom and utility functions are all contained within a single sharply-detailed block which appears to have been ‘parked’ in the corner of the now fully revealed 17m x 6m Loft space. A similarly detailed linear counter block, supplemented by the adjacent fridge/freezer and ‘coffee larder’ concealed in the end of the main block, provides the cooking area. At one end of the open Loft, a concealed sliding wall allows the sleeping area to be fully enclosed if required. At the other, a full width counter and shelf provide a work area for the photographer owner. In between, flexible zones for dining, relaxing, and exercise are accommodated within the open space. With the exception of the unfinished Pitch Pine plank floor (which appears to be original but was in reality salvaged from a Welsh Chapel), all surfaces and fittings including the exposed brickwork are finished in white; the crisp machine-made quality of the solid acrylic finished kitchen and service block interventions setting them apart from the more hand-made and time-weathered surface textures of the original Industrial building. Surface finishes within the service block are all in dark grey, accenting the idea of a fruit or jewel-case-like object with a smooth exterior skin contrasting with a darker more sensual core. Removal of the 1990's sub-divisions allows shafts of sunlight from the newly-exposed windows in the South and West walls to animate the space and to supplement the softer light from the almost fully glazed North wall which faces the courtyard of the building. Programmable latest technology low energy LED lighting has been used throughout, allowing different settings for a range of activities (work / gym / cleaning / watching TV) at the touch of a button. Our client says he still wakes up in the morning and cannot quite believe that he is living in his ideal apartment. The project won Best Apartment in the Architizer A+ International Awards and Best Home Design in the 2013 Don’t Move, Improve! Awards.