The project is in the heart of Notting Hill, our client is an entrepreneur and art collector. The house hadn't been touched since the 40s and was in a decrepit state. At the end of our first site visit, having been through all of the floors, we reached the roof through a small hatch. With views that extended from Wembley stadium to the shard, with Mary Poppins-esque chimney pots each side and the tops of trees in the communal garden behind we knew this was a special place that had to be made the most of. The client's brief was beautifully expansive - 'make it something surprising and something special'. Our answer was to create an antithesis to the house below. Below we had been at pains to put back historical detail whereas here we cut loose. We wanted to create a sense of being otherworldly. We felt that one of the most important elements a study can have is as a place of contemplation and concentration - we literally wanted to rise above the hubbub, of both the street and a family house. 

We had a strong initial concept that this study would be a glass pavilion sitting in a garden in the sky. To do this we worked with landscape designers FRLA to create a garden that you sat in and looked through. Looking through grasses and ferns to the communal gardens at the rear removes the feeling of being at height and despite being on the 5th floor there is a serene sense of isolation.  The structure itself is fairly unique with the roof being supported entirely by glass this gives it a sense of it floating whilst allowing you to be bombarded with light even on the dullest day. The huge rooflight allows you to track clouds as they move across the city. Notting Hill's high elevation and London's largely flat topology means that you can see weather rolling across the city and the sun sets can be amazing. In the summer we have semi transparent blinds which come down diffusing the light into an ethereal glow on which the shadows of the planting and grasses play out.