This impactful redesign of a nineteenth century terrace in Islington’s largest conservation area creates a series of calm, curated spaces for a budding art collector.

The previously awkward single aspect townhouse is transformed into an elegant, uncluttered home filled with natural light. The scheme features a restrained palette of natural oak – used throughout for bespoke storage and shelving, the wide floorboards, and new stairway – and soft white walls.

The property was acquired as a two bedroom house with no external space and no windows at all to the rear. It felt dark and cramped, especially the ground floor, which had a bedroom to the front and a damp bathroom behind. The living room and kitchen were on first floor, with a mezzanine bedroom in the loft space above.

The renovation makes the most of a relatively small footprint, swapping the layouts of the ground and first floors, adding two new bathrooms, and creating outside space in the form of terraces to the front and back.

The open kitchen-living room includes floor to ceiling cabinetry designed by the architects. A triangular rooflight brings natural light in to the very back of the space while forming the base of the first floor terrace, which looks out over lush gardens.

Upstairs, the two bathrooms are seen as a pair with slim tiles, matching fittings and curved walls bringing a cocoon like feeling. The second floor mezzanine becomes new bedroom, with joinery in the roof slope adding storage which also doubles as space for display. A slim-framed triple sliding door opens onto the front terrace.

Connecting all of the spaces is a beautiful curved stairway with oak treads and a hand carved oak handrail.