Becoming X transformed this Victorian flat in south London with a budget of £20,000
(Picture: Juliet Murphy)Divide open-plan space with decorative touches
Type
“To define different zones within an open-plan space, use subtle changes in daylighting and finishes. Using a long rooflight over a kitchen worktop or a fixed window for a seating area creates a different feel in these spaces, while something as simple as changing the orientation of floor tiles can mark out a gentle division between two areas.”
typestudio.co.uk; @type_architects
Maximise every inch
Hannah Campbell
“Look for the potential in the unusable spaces. For a remodelling of an existing loft, we added wardrobes and undereaves storage, but decided that the space by an oddly located rooflight would be best used as a reading nook for the family’s children, adding a ply recessed shelf within the storage framework. It’s a low-cost way of creating an interesting feature.”
hannahcampbelldesign.co.uk; @hannahgcampbelluk
To unlock space
Becoming X
“We look at ways to remove as much unnecessary circulation space as possible. The usual thing to do in a converted Victorian flat is to knock the two front rooms together. But here we’ve removed the wall separating the corridor and kitchen instead, leaving the supporting beam exposed. It has unlocked so much wasted space and created a proper kitchen-dining room.
becomingx.net; @studiobecomingx
Nod to the existing building
Bureau de Change
“Take cues from the existing fabric of your home to create a sculptural, site-specific element to your project. For our Step House, we wanted to create an extension which feels like it is as though it has been pulled out of the original building. Stepped steel beams hold it in place but it feels like it’s the same brickwork inside and out.”
b-de-c.com; @bureaudechange_architects
Zone with shelving screens
Amos Goldreich
“Maximise storage in small spaces using shelving screens. Exposed structural shelves create separate yet connected zones within one space. The oak shelving screen at our Framework House allows the family to maintain connection in the open-plan kitchen/ living area, while still enjoying their own space.”
agarchitecture.net;@agarchitecture
Find smart ways to let in chinks of light
Studio Aki
“There is a tendency to want to knock through everywhere, but sometimes it’s possible to get light into a space without major building work, which can be costly and be tough on the original fabric of an old building.”
“It can be enough to utilise existing openings which preserve character, or make new small ones to let light in or create visual through-lines. In the Green House, we were able to let light in via a series of small openings [in the roof and rear façade], in addition to a beautiful circular roof light, preserving much of the existing rear façade and avoiding the need for costly steelwork.”
Paint to elevate basic brick
Delve Architects
“If your budget is tight, use a cheap, basic engineering brick to construct your walls, but paint them with a claybased paint from Bauwerk or Earthborn to create a rich, textured finish.”
delvearchitects.com; @delvearchitects
Add height to a period home
Fraher & Findlay
“If you’re in a Victorian and Edwardian building, you can add height to rooms and eliminate draughts by dropping your ground floor level to take advantage of the often-generous void under the floorboards, by laying a new structural floor slab at this lower level.”
fraherandfindlay.com; @fraherandfinlay
Use glazing for winter outdoor appreciation
Gregory Phillips Architects
“Elevate your extension by using floor-to-ceiling glass. This gives you the feeling of experiencing the outside while remaining warm and dry in winter. In summer when you open the glass you feel like you are outside. Add metal cladding to help the extension fit in with historic brickwork while also looking contemporary.”
gregoryphillips.com; @gregoryphillipsarchitects
Leave your materials naked to save cash
Whittaker Parsons
“Save time and money on internal finishes and fittings through ‘material honesty’, using basic construction materials in a creative way that celebrates their honesty.
“For the Naked House [in east London], we left the steel structure and brickwork exposed, used glazed bricks as a backsplash, formed bespoke taps from copper pipes and used self-finished bamboo sheets to clad an offthe-shelf kitchen.”
whittakerparsons.com; @whittakerparsons
