Storage Solutions and Sumptuous Materials Combine in This Beautifully Renovated East London Home
Studio Hagen Hall added a rooftop suite and finished each level with a blend of timber, clay, concrete, and green quartzite.
Studio Hagen Hall added a rooftop suite and finished each level with a blend of timber, clay, concrete, and green quartzite.
As it pertains to family living, space is always at a premium. There never seems to be enough storage, and every room turns into a multiuse zone. When Jemima Garthwaite, founder of creative agency This Here, went to renovate her growing family’s East London terrace house, these elements were top of mind.
"I had always hoped to work together, having been contemporaries at university," says Jemima Garthwaite of architect Louis Hagen Hall. "At last that opportunity came around as I gained planning permission to build a mansard extension for my home in Hackney." The new extension is home to a primary bedroom with pink clay rendered walls and an en suite with a similarly rich material palette.
Photograph by Mariell Lind Hansen
The problem was that there wasn’t a lot of room for expansion in the first place. And, when Jemima’s architect, Louis Hagen Hall, submitted plans for a renovation to the local council, they insisted they be resubmitted with an invisible mansard extension.
The primary bedroom features large windows that open up the small space. The natural light also animates the palette of natural materials. "We went all natural by filling the space with organic textures in soft tones—wool for warmth under the feet, simply detailed elm veneer joinery, pink or cream clay walls for porosity and soft tones, and linen curtains for translucency," explains client Jemima.
Photograph by Mariell Lind Hansen
"That would have led to a very cramped space in the loft bedroom," says Louis Hagen Hall, director of Studio Hagen Hall. "So, for the extension, we instead focused closely on the interior architecture, design and detailing to maximize the constrained site for our clients."
Hagen Hall went about transforming the family home by turning the formerly dark, small rooms into a bright and airy spaces, integrating plenty of clever hidden storage solutions and a high-end natural material palette.
The dressing room on the first floor features storage on every surface. "Every inch of space has been designed to function," says Hagen Hall. "Storage is elegantly tucked into every available pocket behind flush joinery and is clad in natural materials that will patina beautifully over time."
Photograph by Mariell Lind Hansen
See the full story on Dwell.com: Storage Solutions and Sumptuous Materials Combine in This Beautifully Renovated East London Home
Related stories:
