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Nick Hill Architects has completed the renovation of a 1930s building that was originally converted into a 1980s residence for artists Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier.
Source: Nick Hill Architects
The two-storey building sits on a large plot of land at a 45 degree angle to the street and is bordered on all sides by mature gardens. It was originally built in the 1930s as a delivery room for new mothers, but underwent extensive renovation and expansion in the 1980s, resulting in a cluttered exterior and awkward interior layout.
The project by Nikhil Architects was conceived as a series of small interventions, gently restoring and upgrading the exterior, and redesigning the interior to create a clearer, more usable sequence of rooms, with better daylighting and integration with Garden connections.
A triangular concrete porch forms the new front door facing the street, while new doors and windows replace the 1980s aluminum-framed glass. Replacement windows facing the street have timber frames and multiple glazing to maintain the historic appearance, while those facing the garden have large, bronze-anodized aluminum frames to maximize views.
A new front-to-back kitchen and dining room focuses the focus on the ground floor, where all the main rooms originate. Kitchen islands are designed like freestanding pieces of furniture, similar to sideboards, preventing the kitchen from dominating the character of the dining and living space.
The utility room leads to the kitchen with direct access to the garden. Floors, walls and work surfaces have a continuous tile finish, with an integrated sink and shower designed specifically for the owner’s dog.
The layout of the first floor has been adapted to create a master bedroom suite, which includes a dressing room and bathroom. The dressing room is lined with full-height wardrobes, the fronts of which are wrapped in two-tone linen. Meanwhile, the bathrooms feature large terrazzo slabs and shaped iroko joinery to form shower screens, bath surrounds and mirrored vanities.
architect’s perspective
This was a lockdown project and in many ways it shows in the final result. It benefited from a strange void that existed for a while at a time when business was unusually unusual and time was plentiful.
Zoom calls with clients to develop ideas for projects have been a welcome distraction for all of us from the weird things happening elsewhere. Ideas were thought over and over, the layout was improved, the range of materials was broadened, and the project became more in line with the client’s goals. There is no doubt that it is a richer product.
Through the careful choice of materials, colors and careful details, the project restores a sense of calm and cohesion that the house was missing and creates intrigue by leaving behind a blur of original, altered and completely new content.
The scheme aims to be a model for retrofitting during the climate emergency, at a time when perceptions of best practice are shifting and considerations around the benefits of building preservation or renewal are increasingly weighed against their environmental costs.
Nick Hill, Director, Nick Hill Architects
customer perspective
We bought the house because it had an unusually large plot and garden. The house itself had little appeal – it had been ruthlessly tampered with over the years without the involvement of a good architect.
We wanted to work with Nick because of his collaborative spirit with clients and his special sensitivity to materials. He listened carefully to our ideas and wishes, but the final result was insightful and far exceeded our expectations. Every corner of the house has been addressed and the space now has a wonderful flow. Light flows through the house and we get the perfect combination of intimacy and space we wanted.
The palette of materials and colors he introduced was both coherent and diverse. The design process was a creative exchange, although we quickly realized we could trust Nick to design what we wanted, and as a result, the house became very personal to us.
Vong Phaophanit and Claire Obouissier
Project data
Live start January 2022
Completion Date June 2023
Total internal floor area 220m2
Contract form JCT Minor Projects
construction cost Undisclosed
architect Nick Hill Architects
client Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier
structural engineer Engineer HRW
quantity surveyor Brendan Hennessy Associates
Chief designer Nick Hill Architects
Accredited Building Inspector Cook Brown Building Controls
main contractor BDL London
CAD software used AutoCAD LT
Source: Nick Hill Architects
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