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Room Tour: A Broken-plan Space That Feels Light and Connected
A dingy Victorian flat was opened up to create a sociable space with bags of light flowing from back to front
As with many Victorian properties, the renovation of this lower ground floor flat threw up many challenges, including having to rectify updates that hadn’t been done very well over the years. The owners asked Sami Somer of BLOCK Design & Build to help them sympathetically restore their home, while improving light levels throughout the space.
“We broke the concrete subfloor and made it level, so it would be continuous all the way through,” Sami says. “The plank floorboards help to draw your eye along the whole space.”
He restored the period feel of the property with new cornicing and a matching ceiling rose. “The cornicing is quite big, but the high ceiling and bay window allowed us to use larger proportions,” Sami says.
The owners chose a blue-green colour for the walls and skirting boards, and Sami contrasted this with an off-white colour on the ceiling. “When you’re using green, brown or grey on the walls, it’s better to phase it in with an off white,” he explains. “When there’s a stark contrast with bright white, your eye tends to shoot up to the ceiling.”
Ceiling painted in Mallow White, Dulux. Walls painted in Livid, Little Greene. Cornicing, The London Cornice Company. Flooring, Havwoods. Cristina chandelier, Soho Home.
He restored the period feel of the property with new cornicing and a matching ceiling rose. “The cornicing is quite big, but the high ceiling and bay window allowed us to use larger proportions,” Sami says.
The owners chose a blue-green colour for the walls and skirting boards, and Sami contrasted this with an off-white colour on the ceiling. “When you’re using green, brown or grey on the walls, it’s better to phase it in with an off white,” he explains. “When there’s a stark contrast with bright white, your eye tends to shoot up to the ceiling.”
Ceiling painted in Mallow White, Dulux. Walls painted in Livid, Little Greene. Cornicing, The London Cornice Company. Flooring, Havwoods. Cristina chandelier, Soho Home.
The fireplace had been bricked up, so Sami reopened and restored it, being careful to keep the used feel of the bricks. He also installed a slate hearth. “The owners preferred to leave the fireplace open, as they might add a wood-burner at a later date,” he says.
The team built some storage in the alcove flush with the chimney breast. A cupboard sits below oak shelves, painted in the same colour as the walls.
Slate on hearth, Alberto’s Antiques.
The team built some storage in the alcove flush with the chimney breast. A cupboard sits below oak shelves, painted in the same colour as the walls.
Slate on hearth, Alberto’s Antiques.
The opening to the kitchen is on a load-bearing wall, so the team fitted a steel beam above to support it. “While you’re sitting in the living room, you can see through to the kitchen, but you don’t have a view of messy pots and pans on the work surface,” Sami says.
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A project manager could save you time and money on your renovation. Find a professional in your area and read their reviews.
The owners wanted a high-end finish in the kitchen, so Sami helped them achieve this in a cost-effective way. He used standard carcasses and built bespoke doors with good-quality brass handles.
Brass handles, British Standard. Cabinets painted in Obsidian Green, Little Greene. Richmond dual-fuel oven and extractor, Stoves. Pendant lights, Heal’s.
Brass handles, British Standard. Cabinets painted in Obsidian Green, Little Greene. Richmond dual-fuel oven and extractor, Stoves. Pendant lights, Heal’s.
A marble-effect quartz worktop contrasts with the dark cabinets. “The owners were keen for the splashback to look as clean and straight as possible, so we decided to keep the line below the extractor,” Sami says.
The peninsula provides plenty of storage and room for a breakfast bar. This allowed Sami to limit the number of wall units to maintain a light and airy feel. Instead, he built an oak shelf above the ceramic sink.
Warm-toned downlights illuminate the whole space, while a couple of pendants add task lighting over the peninsula.
Shelf brackets, British Standard. Tap, Perrin & Rowe. Sink, Villeroy & Boch.
The peninsula provides plenty of storage and room for a breakfast bar. This allowed Sami to limit the number of wall units to maintain a light and airy feel. Instead, he built an oak shelf above the ceramic sink.
Warm-toned downlights illuminate the whole space, while a couple of pendants add task lighting over the peninsula.
Shelf brackets, British Standard. Tap, Perrin & Rowe. Sink, Villeroy & Boch.
The original kitchen was blocked off from the front room.
The pitched-roof side extension was already in place, but it didn’t feel integrated into the house. “We wanted to bring in as much light as possible from the glazed roof and back door, so we found a modern way of hanging the pendants,” Sami says. “They run from the wall and are positioned quite high, so they don’t interrupt sightlines.”
There were windows along the side wall, but they served no purpose, so the team bricked them up, but left the recesses. They now work well as useful ledges, and give a nod to the original building. Varnished wooden beams have been painted in a soft black to update the space.
Beams painted in Black Blue, Farrow & Ball. Sophie oak dining chairs, Habitat.
There were windows along the side wall, but they served no purpose, so the team bricked them up, but left the recesses. They now work well as useful ledges, and give a nod to the original building. Varnished wooden beams have been painted in a soft black to update the space.
Beams painted in Black Blue, Farrow & Ball. Sophie oak dining chairs, Habitat.
Sami built some overflow storage in a similar design to the kitchen units. The tall cabinet is for household items such as the ironing board, mop and broom, while the lower unit houses the washing machine. A quartz worktop and shelves are ideal for using as a drinks station.
At the back of the long room is a bifold door that opens up along the whole wall. A glass side door adds even more light, as do the windows above each door.
Bifold doors, Schueco. Ginestra 400 pendant lights, Astro.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite part of this broken-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Bifold doors, Schueco. Ginestra 400 pendant lights, Astro.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite part of this broken-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A family of three
Location North London
Property Lower ground floor Victorian flat with two bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer Sami Somer at BLOCK Design & Build
Photos by Chris Snook
Bringing in plenty of light was key for the owners of this lower ground floor flat. In the original layout, the walls were all blocked off, which limited the amount of daylight coming into the rooms.
“The idea was to get light from the back to the front of the flat,” Sami says. The solution was to open up the walls of each room to create a broken-plan space, where light flows from one area to the next.
The opening from the living room to the kitchen was made to fit the dimensions of a double door. “We had talked about putting a metal-framed glazed door in,” Sami says, “but when the owners saw the opening they decided to keep it this way, as they loved the connection between the rooms.”