DB Apartment

Ståle Eriksen

• Interior Designers

DB Apartment encompasses a double extension and refurbishment of a ground floor flat within a Georgian townhouse. The project introduces light and airy lateral living into a previously enclosed ground floor apartment. A clean and minimal design approach is taken, with an emphasis on high quality materials used considerately.

photo_credit Ståle Eriksen — Ståle Eriksen

Working within a set of tight parameters, the resulting architecture allows the homeowners to feel the breadth of the property, with visual and physical connections into the garden from multiple aspects. The project has increased the quality of life and liveability of space for the homeowners, with links through the property to enhance the sociability of spaces, whilst introducing hierarchies of use. By opening up the kitchen and visually linking it to the dining room the ritualistic act of cooking is enhanced into a moment for sharing between those in the kitchen and those in the dining room. This enhancement and connection of the spaces allows a small kitchen to play a pivotal role in the success of the project.

With a tight construction cost the project adjusts & redefines the property by introducing two modest volumes that simultaneously link & harmonise the layout & aesthetics. Cost effective materials were used whilst careful details brings them up to a high quality standard. The hot dipped galvanised steel threshold surrounds utilise an industrial process to create a unique yet raw architectural finish. Dark brick & heavily applied mortar complement the existing London Stock of the host dwelling, the heavy mortar application was chosen to enhance the monolithic appearance of the volumes by blurring the boundaries of the coursing between the bricks.

The volumes sit snugly against the existing outrigger, retaining proportions of the host dwelling, whilst pulling through to link the property within. A pocket sliding door is a key external link, allowing an un-obscured view from within. The design responds to its context as a balance between the raw & weighty external appearance, in contrast to the warm & minimal internal aesthetic. The junctions between these elements are highlighted by galvanised steel thresholds, which in themselves are light, unexpected & beautifully raw.