de rosee sa brightens dark kensington apartment in london

de rosee sa brightens dark kensington apartment in london
all images courtesy of de rosee sa

illuminating the drab interior of the victorian apartment in london’s royal borough of kensington and chelsea, local architecture practice, de rosee sa has transformed it into a brightly lit and uplifting environment. the brief from the clients was for a fun mix of classic and contemporary elements with an open-plan living space for entertaining. the formerly lowered ceiling cramped the proportions of the flat, while only one main bathroom and a traditional but worn design was unsympathetic to the owners lifestyle. the main challenge was to bring light into a boxed-in, windowless lobby that formed its core – achieved by installing a permeable, paneled joinery feature.

‘we wanted to eliminate dark corridors, maximise space, and retain the traditional proportions of the flat,’ said sanchia stowe, de rosee sa project architect at bassett road.

main living area

allowing light from the south facing windows to filter through, the bespoke piece can be open or closed from the lobby, directly controlling the levels of privacy required. careful spatial planning also helped to enliven the dark rooms. the flat now consists of an open-plan living and kitchen area, a south-facing master suite (including en-suite shower room and walk-through dressing room), a guest bedroom, main bathroom and utility storage area.

the kitchen

engineered oak parquet adds depth to the floor of the main living area. the tone of the bianco gioia marble surfaces create a dramatic contrast, and paired with oak veneer cupboards, it ties the two sections of the space together. other customized built-in features include a wooden banquette, LED backlit bookshelf and raised stone hearth.

bespoke joinery in the original lobby space 

corner detail of the joinery

hand-crafted banquette and eating area

kitchen storage and cleaning nook

the master bedroom

dressing area

the master bathroom

bathroom detailing

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