Houzz Tours
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Houzz Tour: A Light-filled Victorian Flat With a Sociable Heart
A converted Victorian grain store in vibrant Shoreditch, east London, is now home to an eclectic, bright flat full of travel treasures
Despite being situated in the heart of buzzing Shoreditch, this flat was anything but cool when James Davies of Paper House Project was asked to redesign it. “It had been refurbished around 15 years ago, but really badly,” he says. “The layout didn’t work with the building, so it was a complete rip out and start again job.”
The position of existing windows and the narrow width of the flat dictated the final configuration to some degree, but otherwise Davies was free to rationalise it, with the aim of making the most of every inch of space and celebrating its bright aspect.
The position of existing windows and the narrow width of the flat dictated the final configuration to some degree, but otherwise Davies was free to rationalise it, with the aim of making the most of every inch of space and celebrating its bright aspect.
The flat was gutted and completely redesigned. “We took all the partitions out,” says Davies. “The brief was to be as clever as possible with the available area.”
There was a lot of circulation space in the original configuration that’s now incorporated into the living area. “We also maintained the height of the door openings and fitted large pocket doors to the kitchen and bathroom,” says Davies. “This was tricky because of all the services within the kitchen wall, but it was important to create clean visual lines down the flat.”
There was a lot of circulation space in the original configuration that’s now incorporated into the living area. “We also maintained the height of the door openings and fitted large pocket doors to the kitchen and bathroom,” says Davies. “This was tricky because of all the services within the kitchen wall, but it was important to create clean visual lines down the flat.”
The owner is widely travelled and has a large collection of pieces picked up overseas. Space to socialise was more relevant to him than room to cook, so Davies chose simple white units for the kitchen that seem to blend into the wall. “We didn’t want the kitchen to be too prominent,” he says.
10 multi-functional furniture ideas for a compact living room
10 multi-functional furniture ideas for a compact living room
BEFORE This is a view of the kitchen before the space was redesigned.
The owner’s midcentury dining table and chairs stand out beautifully against the pale floor, which is A-grade faced plywood, chosen because it’s hard-wearing. “It also becomes more interesting with age,” says Davies. “The grain begins to come through. It changes with time, which is quite nice.”
The large boards mean there are hardly any visible joins, giving the floor the look of poured rubber or concrete. “It’s pale, too, so it reflects light and keeps the space feeling bright,” he adds.
The large boards mean there are hardly any visible joins, giving the floor the look of poured rubber or concrete. “It’s pale, too, so it reflects light and keeps the space feeling bright,” he adds.
Plans show the improved layout of the flat, with its two bedrooms at the rear of the property, where it’s wider.
The living area is fairly narrow, about 5m wide, but the flat takes up the whole floor and extends a long way back, via a dog-leg corridor, to the two bedrooms at the rear.
Numerous windows keep it light. “We put in brand-new timber sash windows throughout,” says Davies.
Numerous windows keep it light. “We put in brand-new timber sash windows throughout,” says Davies.
Simple units and doors from a trade supplier have been modified cleverly, so that every pocket of kitchen space is used effectively. “The corner unit is often under-used and inaccessible, for example, but here we’ve fitted the washing machine into it, which you access from the hallway,” says Davies. The worktop and upstand are made from laminated ply.
Kitchen, Howdens. Praise 1 sink, Cooke & Lewis at B&Q. Eurosmart Chrome Mono Kitchen Sink Mixer tap, Grohe at Tapsuk.com. Worktop, Matt Antrobus.
Kitchen, Howdens. Praise 1 sink, Cooke & Lewis at B&Q. Eurosmart Chrome Mono Kitchen Sink Mixer tap, Grohe at Tapsuk.com. Worktop, Matt Antrobus.
It was impossible to alter the position of the soil pipes and boiler flue, so these determined the configuration of the bathroom. “We also couldn’t have the loo against the kitchen wall, as this would clash with the pocket door and all the kitchen services housed in there,” says Davies.
Tabor bath, Betterbathrooms.com.
Tabor bath, Betterbathrooms.com.
“We tried to keep everything uniform to help the space feel ordered and open,” says Davies. He chose large-format tiles for the bathroom. “They’re easier to lay and get right than small tiles or mosaics, especially if you have a tricky space with a lot to fit in,” he says. “It’s always easier to have big tiles in a complex layout and it’s also cheaper to lay them than cutting lots of smaller tiles.”
Porcelain tiles, Tile Mountain. Vero wash basin, Duravit; Concetto Wall Mounted 2 Hole basin mixer tap, Grohe; both at QS Supplies. Euphoria Cosmopolitan 180 Showerhead, Grohe at PlumbNation. Pocket door, Hafele.
Porcelain tiles, Tile Mountain. Vero wash basin, Duravit; Concetto Wall Mounted 2 Hole basin mixer tap, Grohe; both at QS Supplies. Euphoria Cosmopolitan 180 Showerhead, Grohe at PlumbNation. Pocket door, Hafele.
The master bedroom is at the back of the property, which is quieter. Walls are painted plain white throughout the flat, as a simple backdrop for the owner’s finds and artworks.
The fitted wardrobes act as the dividing partition between this room and the adjoining second bedroom. “We were trying to make as much use of space as possible,” says Davies. “The partition is 900mm wide, and on one side, in one bedroom, the storage might be 600mm deep while on the other side it’s 200-250mm deep. This is varied to give different sizes of storage [to each bedroom] with a partition in-between.”
The fitted wardrobes act as the dividing partition between this room and the adjoining second bedroom. “We were trying to make as much use of space as possible,” says Davies. “The partition is 900mm wide, and on one side, in one bedroom, the storage might be 600mm deep while on the other side it’s 200-250mm deep. This is varied to give different sizes of storage [to each bedroom] with a partition in-between.”
The flat originally had just one bedroom and a separate, badly designed office space, but the owner wanted to create two bedrooms, with the second one doubling as a study for when he works from home.
The desk is made with a floating sub-frame clad in solid oak, with floating shelves above.
See 9 practical tips for creating an office space to suit you and your home
What’s your favourite detail in this light London flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
The desk is made with a floating sub-frame clad in solid oak, with floating shelves above.
See 9 practical tips for creating an office space to suit you and your home
What’s your favourite detail in this light London flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A single man who works in the film industry
Property A second floor flat in a Victorian property, formerly used as a grain store
Location Shoreditch, east London
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom (85 sq m in total)
Designer James Davies of Paper House Project
Photos by Simon Maxwell
“We wanted to create a sense of space and openness here,” says James Davies. “It’s a cool building with so many windows and lots of light flooding in. We tried to retain as many original features as we could, including the exposed brick, as a reminder of its former use.”
Pendant lights, Heal’s.