Thursday 31 January 2008

Carlton road, London


Ealing,
London


The Carlton Road project presented Spaced Out with a special challenge. Designing a home for a couple who each have their own design business. It was also a classic case of neatly slotting the new into the old.

As found, the property was a dark Victorian Villa, filled with the remnants of its previous occupants, the inventors of the heated flying suit, later to become the Milliwatt Heated bed blanket.

For over 50 years the house had been used by the same family as home, research labs, sample rooms and storage. It was also partially converted into two separate units with separate entrances and interconnecting staircases. Its original plan was barely recognisable.

Now totally transformed by Spaced Out, the Victorian outer shell has been carefully restored, with subtle modifications, whilst the interior is a contemporary machine for living. Transformed by a fresh new scheme which has encouraged the penetration of daylight and air throughout the entire interior. Unlike the Victorian plan, the new layout allows for spaces to flow together, including a dramatic new double tiered terrace linking the main rooms on the ground floor seamlessly into the garden.

Sonia Rykiel, London


London

The Brook Street Project is a flagship boutique and also Sonia Rykiel's first in London.

The brief for the project was to evolve the core design features previously employed in Sonia Rykiel's other boutiques, whilst at the same time maintaining the key signature materials such as European Oak, black carpet and white walls.

Spaced Out advanced the design by introducing modern technology combined with the Rykiel signature materials. The new design employed LED lighting, UV bonded glass, plasma screens, backlit acid etched glass and brushed stainless steel. Spaced Out also modernised the Sonia Rykiel shop-fit furniture by giving it a sense of weightlessness. The shop came with a Grade II listed frontage, which had to remain predominantly unchanged. With the careful handling of colour, lighting and new signage, the shop front has been enhanced, providing the desired European Chic aesthetic more commonly associated with Paris or Milan. Spaced Out designed a contemporary elevation, providing a secondary, off street entrance at the back of the Boutique, which is private, intimate and luxurious.

Thatched house, London


Leyton,
East London


Thatched House is a new build residential development in Leyton, located on a former car park site next to a public house that has been on the site since the 17th Century. Two barns collide and capture three interlocking townhouses and three apartments. The Thatched House Pub is a local Landmark. An institution, known for its specific culture rather than its Architecture.

The key focus of the Planners was to minimise the impact of the new building on the Pub. Spaced Out has designed two volumes, two offset pitched roof barns which subtly respond to the dominant double pitched rear elevation of the Public House. The new volumes continue rather than break with the existing landmark, aligning the roof pitch, ridge and eaves levels. Within the two main volumes you find six private units, woven together with a variety of access points and plans arranged over stepped sections. All the units have been designed to provide spatial diversity which we believe enhances individuality. The space occupied by the staircase is the resultant space from the merging of the two volumes. This space has a dramatic resultant geometry, reinforced by only having a skylight slot.

St Barnabas, Cambridge


St. Barnabas Rd,
Cambridge


St. Barnabas is the second project in a series of architectural commissions offered to Spaced Out by the same family. During the briefing phase it became clear that we were to focus our energy on resolving how the house and garden could be best joined. A key statement made by our client was that the design must cater for 'Visitors of all shapes, sizes, ages and stages of development'. Adding, 'We want to make them feel welcome into a warm, generous, creative space'.

The existing house is an Edwardian semi-detached villa which had an isolated back living room that totally underplayed the potential of its relationship to the long west facing walled garden. Spaced Out reacted to this brief by creating a lightweight garden room, opening up the back of the house. With a relatively small scale extension we fulfilled the idea that we should design a space that is manageable, with everything within easy reach; a space that never feels empty. The design was driven by our desire to extend the property in a sensitive manner with seamless detailing. The result is an object that gently slides in under the building, retaining the upper level part of the original full length bay window.

Settles Street, London




Whitechapel,
London


The creation of a new mews on an old industrial site in the heart of london. Close to the central business districts of the City and Canary wharf, this project provides high quality housing within a culturally rich and historically colourful part of London.

the Architecture has been driven by the desire to create light and airy spaces combined with privacy, essential to healthy urban living. This has formed a very exciting series of volumes and external spaces.

The bold geometric facade, shifting and opening to encourage light penetration and provide privacy is balanced and softened with the use of an inspired colour palette. Colours chosen are commonly found in reclaimed London Stock bricks. Here the painted surfaces are on the Bay faces, cranked open from the primary elevation. The rendered screens are fully enclosed at ground floor level with sheltered balconies at first floor level. The Architecture forms a new terrace, with 5 Houses and two apartment blocks, seamlessly united under one roofline. All units enjoy private terraces, balconies and a shared cobbled entrance court. The Mews is gated for added security and privacy.

Beginnings

A blog from the design studio spaced out. Hopefully this will be something that we update regularly, a place for some of the work of the studio to be seen as well as our general musings, enjoy...