Name: NEVER TOO SMALL: Vibrant Reimagined Underground Victorian Terrace, London 54sqm/581sqft
Uploaded: 2024-11-18T10:32:50.000Z
Duration: 10 min 36 s
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We've experimented a lot with small space living and that sense of wonder when you come in.

Adverbs of manner

This idea of how you can really change a space with a very, very simple element, suddenly it feels very transformed and different.

And I'm Jack Mama, the other half of Studio Mama.

Our idea was to explore how to create a transformative space where you can subdivide that with sliding door elements that could create different zones within the space.

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So the flat is located in Islington, the north part of London.

It's a very central location, very beautiful streets lined with big trees, you know, which gives that kind of nearly a suburbia feel or not being that central in London as you actually are.

This is a lower ground floor flat in a terraced Victorian house.

I went to see the flat and it was really a maze of walls and really run down.

So the challenge was basically how do we make this feel light and open.

So it's a lot to try and squeeze in to a fairly small space and then also feel that it's actually spacious.

When I first entered the flat, there was one living room that had a narrow kitchen and then there was a master bedroom that took basically the best view to the garden.

The new floor plan that we created was very much about opening up the space so we could connect the front of the flat to the back of the flat because that's where we have the window.

Converted what was two bedrooms that was in the front of the flat towards the back of the garden to being tucked at the entrance and then we moved the kitchen on the other side so the kitchen obviously has a totally different location.

We've got a separate entrance where you come in and you walk down the stairs and a little fall court.

So in that way you are kind of feeling that it's really your own little space here.

So when you enter, the first thing you have is a bench to take your shoes on and off.

There's loads of storage space for your overcoats and shoes.

We did a lot of work with that, you know, how much space do we need for it to feel generous.

And then the first thing when you turn in is this really big bookshelf.

It feels really generous when you enter the space.

The bookshelf was built around an old fireplace and then we used the opportunity to put in a big mirror.

We work a lot with mirror in small spaces that in the evening it can also give this very sculptural feel to the space.

The mirror actually helps to balance the light and also help amplify the sense of space upon entering the main area when you come in.

We thought about the layout of the study a lot so that it connects to the sofa space.

The desk is facing outwards to the garden so you feel connected to the outside.

We also incorporated the standing, working possibility that you can switch easily between sitting and standing.

The study space needs storage all built in Douglas Fir.

That gives that kind of a whole different sensibility and warmth when you sit in that space.

When you get through to the garden side of the flat we wanted to create both living room space and a dining space.

There's not that many square meters to get all that squeezed in.

The sofa is designed to visually take up as little space as possible but obviously maximize the seating.

So one of the things we did was to make it as floating as possible.

So that's cantily when the sofa will gain that extra visual sense of space.

We designed the coffee table because again the space is not so big.

The armrest also serves as a side table as well so you can leave your book or a cup of tea.

The ceiling in the study and the living area is lower than the rest of the flat.

We actually used it as a feature because there's something really quite cozy.

You get the feel that the space opens up in front of you and then you see the garden and the light.

You have this garden that comes with the lower ground floor flat here which I think is a massive plus for the flat.

This is a beautiful mature garden where we have big trees that you would see and the tree also makes the space really green when you look through.

So we had this challenge with the kitchen that we have a big structural column that we have to work around.

We created these two areas around the column.

We wanted to create this kind of a graphic feel to the kitchen.

So the kitchen comprised fridge, freezer, dishwasher, oven.

We had to find a way to have drawers for knives and forks and all of that and that we put in in the curb end so that was the only space left.

So we managed to kind of squeeze it in and make it a feature for the kitchen.

The light for the kitchen is integrated LED lights onto the cabinets that is motion sensors.

The material that we have used for the worktop and the splash bag is material made with off-cut wood.

So it was important that we also had the material that worked both for the worktop and the splash bag.

That kind of a continuous line always gives more openness.

We really like to have some open shelving but it also makes access very easy.

The dining table was within a narrow confine so we came up with this idea of this more diamond shaped table.

That takes up much less footprint so that you could easily have the chairs tucked in and be able to pass through to the other side of it.

It had a recess so that we could integrate a bench into it.

We found these Swiss designed dining chairs by Bruno Ray.

This shape is nice because you are facing each other which I think is quite nice and more convivial.

For the first sleeping part in the front of the pot we had to integrate some stairs for accessing the pot.

The first pot has sliding doors and it also gives a sense of privacy that is quite cozy when you are in there.

On the top of the pot we integrated a glass box that gives light from the front of the flats.

There is also some shelving that can be used for books and etc.

In the front of the pot there is pull out storage.

One thing that I was quite conscious about is having two sleeping pots up against each other.

They are separated by a big sliding door which gives that kind of a movement in the space.

It just gives that sense that you have a space that can be divided up.

There is a sliding door to close it off for privacy.

On the other side of the pot there is a sliding door element so there is an opportunity to play with the openness of the space.

What is not visible to people is that the top part is in two halves so you have storage from the outside but also from the inside of the pot.

We managed to integrate some storage under the bed.

We have quite vivid colours inside the wardrobe.

We like to have colours but also it is that balance that the colours really have to fit in and not take over the space.

We wanted to keep the sight line of the front and the back of the space very open so the bathroom is quite narrow, kind of glass above.

We have used this idea of framing things very much in this project.

We have used micro cement and one can customise the colours.

We have the same material on the floor and the walls.

It also makes the space feel bigger because it is less boundary visually.

I think that is something that is very nice about this space that we have created here.

It is difficult to put into words but it is the feel of it when you walk in.

Maybe it is to do with the combination of natural materials and the colours that we have used and the way that we have worked with the layout and so on.

The thing that we often work with smaller spaces is that aha when you come from quite a confined entrance and you get into a space that opens up.

 Thanks for watching and if you are an architect or designer with a project we could feature please share it with us at www.nevertosmall.com