We were asked to design this North London home for a personal trainer and a weightlifting enthusiast. The couple asked Scenario to completely refurbish and rethink their Victorian semi-detached house in Stoke Newington. The property was constrained by a typical arrangement of smaller rooms and large differences in floor levels from front to back.
The brief called for much greater connectivity between the living room at the front of the house and the spaces at lower level to the rear, adjacent to the garden. The homeowners were also keen to use the renovation as an opportunity to incorporate a gym and home cinema close to the heart of the home. Complete removal of the original main rear wall of the house coupled with the installation of a large skylight opened up sightlines from front to back house, creating a large welcoming space, as well as allowing light to pour into the existing basement.
The basement floor level was dropped significantly, creating more headroom for both the cinema and gym. This allowed for a greater range of work out activities to take place and gave the comfortable cinema space a much-improved connection to the family kitchen and dining spaces above. The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the clients desire to create a sanctuary at home for cooking, entertaining, watching films in the home cinema and taking time out for daily exercise.
The upper floors were also fully renovated, including the three existing bedrooms, a family bathroom and creation of new loft space. Achieving the last of these was extremely challenging given the existing roof structure and planning constraints imposed by the property’s prominent corner position. Through the use of two separate dormers and carefully placed skylights, this loft serves as a bright and luxurious guest bedroom with en suite.
Photography: Matt Clayton