From garage to glorious home

It’s hard to believe that, not long ago, this light, bright house was a couple of dank, interconnected ­bedsits spread across two floors; before that, it was a garage. But now it’s a glorious living space in the heart of Camden.
Photograph: Sophia Evans

Owner Darren Isaacs and Knott Architects have made use of every inch of space: cupboards in the eaves, pots and pans suspended from beams, cleverly zoned areas, and appliances shielded from view so they don’t encroach on the space. Suddenly, 85 square feet of space feels a lot bigger.
Photograph: Sophia Evans

The hallway has slim-line shoe storage by Vitsoe fitted near the front door. A staircase is made from a single ribbon of cold, rolled steel, left to develop a patina of rust before it was sealed; logs for the fire are stored underneath. The calf-skin LCW chair is by Charles and Ray Eames, and Isaacs found the typographical tramlines poster in his native ­Australia (in the UK try Pedlars).
Photograph: Sophia Evans

The upper floor is an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space. Kitchen cupboards and bookshelves, reached via a bespoke ladder, are built into the pitched roof to maximise space. (Cabinetmakers Jack Trench made the units and ladder.) Isaacs found the factory pendants at Retrouvius. The floors are engineered oak boards, designed not to warp with the underfloor heating, and in front of the windows a sunken trench heating system eliminates condensation and saves wall space. On one wall, white cabinets, lined in walnut, house the TV and crockery.
Photograph: Sophia Evans

Downstairs, the bedroom has an ensuite, concrete-rendered wetroom with frosted-glass screens, and a large wardrobe on casters that acts as a dividing wall.
Photograph: Sophia Evans

A small office next door overlooks the street, and doubles as a guest bedroom.
Photograph: Sophia Evans

The cobbled street view, with its first floor Juliet balcony: pre-facelift, the house was once a dilapidated garage, and miserable bedsits.
Photograph: Sophia Evans