Belsize Architects - Cannon Place

Belsize Architects

• 2007

A remodel of 3 flats to a single family dwelling.

The house, located on a narrow street close to Hampstead Village and the Heath, was comprised originally of three flats.

The brief was to make the house into a modern home, by complete remodeling, to be filled with light and with good flow of space and connections both horizontally and vertically. The aim was to form exciting public spaces on the ground and lower ground floor with a large addition to the rear, the roof of which would become the terrace for the ground floor living room. The brief also required the transformation of the back of the property by forming a spatial connection between the house and the garden, with new, low-key landscaping to complement the overall design.

The fact that the house was built on a hill meant that the lower ground floor extension would have become entirely underground. It was therefore decided to create a small sunken courtyard in front of the extension with the back wall of the courtyard clad in granite as a waterfall.

The design was developed to a very high standard with bespoke sophisticated detailing. For example the division between the sitting and dining area was formed from a leather-covered side unit, which curves around at the top and continues across the ceiling. The unit contains a dumb waiter from the kitchen below, a bar, TV set and storage, and incorporates lighting at the top.