South Hill Park

This private project involved the amalgamation and interior refurbishment of two apartments on the southern edge of Hampstead Heath, North London. The newly amalgamated duplex property opens up onto a quiet street to the East and onto a lush, mature belt of trees bordering the Heath towards the West. An elegant narrow staircase in warm natural oak creates an effortless connection between the floors of the two original apartments leading you from the raised ground floor living room into the light-filled first floor corridor, with minimal impact on the usable area of the existing space. The warmth of the natural oak joinery insertions on the lower floor is emphasized by the softness of the light coming from above through the new staircase opening, and from the side, filtered through the lush vegetation of the Heath. Daylighting is maximised by the dual corridor aspect of the property at first floor level – this apartment was previously designed by Ernö Goldfinger for his daughter in the 1970s whilst he resided in neighbouring 2 Willow Road with his wife Ursula. The dual corridor flow created, together with natural oak divisions generates a light, intimate atmosphere and a comfortable division between circulation routes and spaces. The two bedrooms at either end of the corridors offer distinct views and refined yet comforting spaces, white painted and white timber clad, that resume the warm oak theme only through subtle snippets of the corridor joinery and the continuation of the timber floor finish. The simple and elegant palette of materials consisting only of white and naturally warm wood tones creates a timeless, homogenous aesthetic and a luxurious yet intimate atmosphere, celebrating the surrounding area’s distinct character and strengthening the client’s relationship to the place. The project is located in a Conservation Area.