Houzz Tour: A Light-filled Loft with an Industrial Edge in North London
Rough-hewn woods, soothing greys and crisp whites are teamed with vintage furniture and quirky finds for a laid-back, livable home
When designer and soon-to-be homeowner Stephen Nash visited this north London flat for the first time, it certainly left a little something to be desired. ‘The nicest description of it would be that it was habitable… but barely,’ he recalls. The top-floor flat in a beautiful, and rather grand, Edwardian semi-detached house had been rented out for 10 years, and was unloved and forgotten about. Stephen saw the potential in the beautiful old building and, with a few changes to the layout, plenty of white paint and some thriftily sourced antique finds, he managed to create a bright and spacious flat with plenty of personality, and all for just £20,000.
Because the reception area was in the eaves, Stephen decided the only way to make the space feel open and airy was to go for white on the walls and floor. The designer is ‘absolutely obsessed’ with grey, so there was only one choice for the kitchen cupboards. You guessed it… grey.
Stephen then wanted to bring in a material that would soften up the white and grey. Thick wooden chop-block worktops and an island and shelves made from the old floorboards (more on that to come) do the trick perfectly.
Range cooker, Smeg at B&Q. Tap, Franke.
Stephen then wanted to bring in a material that would soften up the white and grey. Thick wooden chop-block worktops and an island and shelves made from the old floorboards (more on that to come) do the trick perfectly.
Range cooker, Smeg at B&Q. Tap, Franke.
Although he loves the space being open, Stephen also wanted to clearly define where the lounging area ended and the kitchen began. ‘That’s partly because I’m an obsessive cleaner,’ he admits, ‘and the last thing I wanted was to be able to see everything that needed cleaning in the kitchen.’ A substantial island separates the zones, with the overhanging worktop creating a breakfast bar.
The look is pared back, with an industrial edge brought in by features such as the rough timber wrapped around the island and the industrial-look leather bar stools.
Because of the limited ceiling height on either side of the room, the cabinets needed to be pulled in by about half a metre. ‘This gave us some quite neat storage on either side,’ says Stephen. ‘There’s not a lot of space in the room, so every inch had to be used as cleverly as possible,’ he explains.
Bar stools, Rockett St George.
The look is pared back, with an industrial edge brought in by features such as the rough timber wrapped around the island and the industrial-look leather bar stools.
Because of the limited ceiling height on either side of the room, the cabinets needed to be pulled in by about half a metre. ‘This gave us some quite neat storage on either side,’ says Stephen. ‘There’s not a lot of space in the room, so every inch had to be used as cleverly as possible,’ he explains.
Bar stools, Rockett St George.
These might look like white painted original floorboards, but they are in fact 9in-wide waxed pitch pine floorboards from an old mill in Yorkshire that Stephen found on eBay. Because he was removing the previous carpet, regulations dictated that full-level sound-proofing had to be laid underneath the flooring, so the original boards couldn’t be used.
The floorboards are treated with two coats of an Osmo wax called White Snow. ‘You have to get a sheepskin mop and spend hours rubbing the wax into the wood,’ says Stephen. ‘Whatever you do, remember to start at the furthest corner of the room!’
The tiny door seen to the right opens into a huge storage space that wraps around the entire room. ‘When we moved in, the walls sloped right down to the floor. But you can’t use that space anyway, so we brought them in and created some crawl-space storage,’ he explains.
Get expert advice for decorating around a pitched ceiling
The floorboards are treated with two coats of an Osmo wax called White Snow. ‘You have to get a sheepskin mop and spend hours rubbing the wax into the wood,’ says Stephen. ‘Whatever you do, remember to start at the furthest corner of the room!’
The tiny door seen to the right opens into a huge storage space that wraps around the entire room. ‘When we moved in, the walls sloped right down to the floor. But you can’t use that space anyway, so we brought them in and created some crawl-space storage,’ he explains.
Get expert advice for decorating around a pitched ceiling
Almost all of the furniture was bought specifically for the apartment, and Stephen spent a good few months scouring flea markets, car-boot sales, charity shops and his favourite vintage haunts to find all of his kit.
‘We decided that everything had to be very low level because of the space,’ he says. ‘I very much like the semi-industrial look, but didn’t want to go too far with it or take it over the top.’ Vintage touches, such as the cast iron radiator and old chesterfield sofa, give it a warm and welcoming feel.
The flat is full of trinkets and quirks, some – such as the photographer’s lamp behind the sofa – are vintage finds, while others, including the leather chair and pouffe, were inherited from family. Large windows, which were already there when Stephen moved in (’thank God!’), make it a very light and pleasant space to be in.
Table and bench, Triangle in Hackney.
‘We decided that everything had to be very low level because of the space,’ he says. ‘I very much like the semi-industrial look, but didn’t want to go too far with it or take it over the top.’ Vintage touches, such as the cast iron radiator and old chesterfield sofa, give it a warm and welcoming feel.
The flat is full of trinkets and quirks, some – such as the photographer’s lamp behind the sofa – are vintage finds, while others, including the leather chair and pouffe, were inherited from family. Large windows, which were already there when Stephen moved in (’thank God!’), make it a very light and pleasant space to be in.
Table and bench, Triangle in Hackney.
In contrast to the living room and kitchen, the hallway downstairs has access to very little natural light. ‘I could have made it super light in the hope of maximising the space, but I decided to go the other way,’ says Stephen. He embraced the size and went dark… very dark. ‘It’s just off black, and as you open the door it really does feel cosy,’ he adds.
With budget constraints following the sound-proofing situation, Stephen wasn’t able to go for the hessian stair runner he’d wanted, but found a budget-friendly, and rather cool, alternative by painting on a runner in the same dark grey as the walls.
Walls painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Ceiling and far wall painted in Pale Ivory, Laura Ashley.
With budget constraints following the sound-proofing situation, Stephen wasn’t able to go for the hessian stair runner he’d wanted, but found a budget-friendly, and rather cool, alternative by painting on a runner in the same dark grey as the walls.
Walls painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Ceiling and far wall painted in Pale Ivory, Laura Ashley.
The master bedroom is painted in pale grey. ‘I couldn’t use grey upstairs, so I literally put it everywhere else,’ Stephen explains. He couldn’t find the exact hue he was after, so he mixed his own. ‘We picked up two or three of what I thought would be my favourite greys, and they just didn’t look right,’ he says.
The ceiling had actually collapsed when Stephen bought the place, and had to be restored. The tall boy, chest of drawers and writing desk are more vintage finds.
The orange throw was one of the few luxury purchases for the flat. It’s mohair, and the burnt orange colour contrasts wonderfully with the grey.
Carpet, Chelsea Carpets. Pendant light, Chase & Sorensen. Blind, B&Q. Orange throw, The Conran Shop.
See how to layer tones of grey
The ceiling had actually collapsed when Stephen bought the place, and had to be restored. The tall boy, chest of drawers and writing desk are more vintage finds.
The orange throw was one of the few luxury purchases for the flat. It’s mohair, and the burnt orange colour contrasts wonderfully with the grey.
Carpet, Chelsea Carpets. Pendant light, Chase & Sorensen. Blind, B&Q. Orange throw, The Conran Shop.
See how to layer tones of grey
The colour scheme continues in the second bedroom. A slightly lighter grey creates a very soothing feeling, and more antique finds ensure continuity throughout the home.
Pendant light, Next Home. Bedspread, Ikea.
Pendant light, Next Home. Bedspread, Ikea.
For the bathroom, Stephen figured it would be best to keep it as simple as possible, with concrete tiles on the floor and white metro tiles on the walls. ‘We tiled the whole thing to make it as watertight as possible,’ he explains, as no windows mean condensation can prove an issue.
Unable to find a vintage roll-top bath that would fit into the corner (they were all entirely freestanding), he found this Victorian-style bath suite that looks the part.
Bath suite, Bathstore. Floor and wall tiles, Topps Tiles.
Unable to find a vintage roll-top bath that would fit into the corner (they were all entirely freestanding), he found this Victorian-style bath suite that looks the part.
Bath suite, Bathstore. Floor and wall tiles, Topps Tiles.
The handsome Edwardian semi-detached house now has a top floor flat worthy of its facade. The two windows on the second floor are the two bedrooms, and the loft windows look out onto the garden.
TELL US…
What do you think of this bright, industrial-style flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this bright, industrial-style flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Stephen Nash and his two cats, Topango and Rye
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Location Queen’s Park, north London
Designer Stephen Nash of All & Nxthing
Builder Dan of Ringer Esquire
The flat is actually upside down, in the sense that the reception area and kitchen are on the upper floor, in the eaves of the building, with the entrance to the flat, the bathroom and two bedrooms on the lower floor.
This space had previously been two rooms, with a poky separate kitchen walled off towards the back. ‘When I realised that turning the flat back the right way around wouldn’t be possible, I immediately decided to open it out,’ says Stephen. ‘The whole thing I like about the flat is that it’s open.’
Check out what you need to know when planning a loft conversion