Photography: Tim Van de Velde Project: Brussels warehouse into townhouse by He!
The days are getting longer and the air is starting to smell like Spring. With the change in season, its the perfect time to reflect on our home, our hibernation habitat from the Winter just passed. Dig out the duster and marigolds for a Spring clean and perhaps even crave an a more substantial uplift.
Motivation for renovating your home can take shape in whole host of ways. Maybe your family is expanding and you need an extra bedroom, maybe the kids have flown the nest and its time for the tired walls that have seen it all to receive some tlc, it could be that you've just purchased your first home and you're ready to put your mark on it! Whatever your reasons, here is LANDE's top projects for February, showcasing some of our favorite inspiration to come out of the architectural industry recently and hopefully inspiring your next renovation project!
In at number 5...
Photography: Peter Bennetts
Taking 5th in the line up, we're landing in Sydney, Australia. Where the award winning renovation of a listed, terrace, by Anthony Gill Architects, is the pinnacle of modest, sympathetic design.
Home to a young family, and sitting nestled between its neighbours, its the collaboration between architectural and garden design that sparks the inspiration for us. Large, crittall doors to the rear garden have overcome the lack of connection to the outdoors, and the deliberate move of retaining the natural textures of the existing, external walls encourages the blurring of that boundary.
Photography: Peter Bennetts
Internally, the use of raw, natural materials and textures continues. Salvaged bricks are painted and become a rustic backsplash for the kitchen, a speckled blue granite worktop and the oiled timber cabinet doors and floorboards all come together to create a kitchen to envy.
Number 4...
Photography: Christian Brailey Architects
With any great renovation project, there is always more to the project than meets the eye. Christian Brailey Architects have shown us how a design can look effortless with a considered material palette and a couple of great details. But there's more to know about this whole house renovation and extension in London.
The whole thermal envelope of the building was upgraded, including new, high performance, double glazed windows and wood fiber insulation. Improving the thermal envelope may not lead to a dramatic visual impact in your home, but this element of the project will certainly have a dramatic impact on energy costs.
Photography: Christian Brailey Architects
Downstairs in the kitchen, the effortless design continues with stained plywood kitchen cupboard doors, and beautiful simple hardware elevating affordable material. Simple techniques are elevating this design throughout, such as the unsuspecting, minimal wall light, up high in the kitchen - highlighting how small moves such as this are a great way to bring some personality into your newly renovated space.
Taking bronze at number 3...
Photography: Pol Viladoms
Knocking down partition walls to create open plan living, is often a go-to for aspiring home renovators as a way of reformatting a floor plan without too much architectural intervention, but before you take out the whole wall, ask yourself if you've toyed with all the options! This renovation of a Barcelona Flat by 08014 Aquitectura takes a spot on the podium for its clever and simple partitions. Zoning an open plan space with a perforated partition is a great way to create connection between two spaces without 2 rooms dissolving into one big one.
This design is all about playful ways of experiencing thresholds. There's no doorway between the living room and the kitchen, yet a subtle change in floor tile and some simple plywood joinery come together to create a characterful apartment fit out worthy of 3rd place in our countdown.
Photography: Pol Viladoms
The success of these plywood partitions continues deeper into the floor plan, with a second iteration only opened up at high level. This allows the light to flow through into the hallway, whilst creating a low key bookshelf to accommodate the living room books.
It may not be the most complex or refined design compared to other renovation projects in our countdown, but this project gets third place for its unapologetic character and playful details.
Number 2...
Photography: Modern House
Just missing out on the top spot is Mountain View by Can Architecture. The Edwardian semi-detached house received lots of press for its totally unique extension with a mountain top rear elevation, but we're showcasing this project at number two for its renovation of the existing house.
This project is oozing with character, both from its original features and more recently through the bold colour palette and huge variety of materials used. New skylights in the upstairs hallway spill light down the staircase past the rafters that have undergone a new lease of life through pastel paint.
Downstairs the variety continues, with painted brick contrasting against checkerboard ceramic tiles, painted steel beams and terrazzo floor. Original features clash with modern intervention everywhere you look in this renovation and its certainly one to split the crowd. This project has made it in at 2nd place for its endless, unique, creativity. If you don't love this project for its style, you have to give some credit for seeing every inch of this house as an opportunity to put express personality.
Taking the top spot...
Photography: Tim Van de Velde
Brace yourself for the perfect balance of industrial meets elegance in this incredible warehouse renovation and conversion in Brussels. Successfully completed by He! the finished design is our number one example of how to do a home renovation. The existing columns are painted charcoal black, emphasising their presence in the space, whilst soft, timber tones and draping partition curtains give the space a warmth.
Photography: Tim Van de Velde
The softness of the newly renovated space continues throughout, this consistency creating a calm, connected atmosphere in every room. A big challenge in a warehouse conversion is celebrating the original industrial features whilst managing to create a homely feel and this project has done just that.
Photography: Tim Van de Velde
When creating a an interior that is subtle and calm, there lies the opportunity to incorporate some luxurious features whilst retaining a modesty. A sunken bath with large, sliding patio doors opening out onto a roof terrace? Don't mind us, as we gladly award this renovation with our essentially meaningless but all the same worthy 1st place in February's run down or top renovation projects.
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