Reconfiguring two flats in a Victorian conversion with XUL Architecture

When XUL Architecture was approached by their clients to reconfigure two flats into a one large apartment the team rose to the challenge. Situated on the third floor of a Victorian conversion, the two duplex apartments had one major issue to resolve: to improve the circulation throughout the property. The North London based practice thought about many options for this property before considering moving the staircase to the centre of the building. There was one hurdle though, how to ensure the staircase could be positioned underneath the chimney stack with millimetres to spare.

The homeowners, living in Brussels and relocating to London, purchased the property and asked XUL to reconfigure the space to centralise the circulation and have only one staircase. The entire project was designed and managed with the clients living abroad, so good communication was key to its success – one of XUL Architecture’s strong points on all projects.

The key to unlocking the potential of this property was installing a staircase which worked with the building. The first section of the staircase rises to a lower landing, turning right underneath the chimney stack and left into a new staircase rising to the upper floor. This clever reduction in the landing height allowed for space to walk under the chimney and created a beautiful feature that is the talking point with all guests. This reconfiguration also allowed for a larger vestibule and a guest toilet to be installed.

The homeowners were delighted with the project continuing the industrial interior with furniture and lighting to match the decor.

About XUL Architecture

Located in North London, XUL Architecture is a commercially minded, client-centred architecture practice. Efficient and responsive, XUL put particular focus on the client’s experience as well as in finding ingenious ways of bringing light into architecture. XUL believe each client is special and has a story to tell. Their extensive research is based around finding ways in which we can bring more natural light into architecture as this has a positive impact on spatial quality, wellbeing, productivity and creativity.

For more information about this project or to view other XUL Architecture projects please visit their website.

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