Contemporary Apartment, Farringdon, London
A contemporary redesign of this industrial conversion apartment in Farringdon, City of London.
An interior designed for an art collection
The refurbishment of this industrial conversion apartment in London’s Farringdon was centred around the client’s artwork collection. Keen to display more of their paintings and glassware, we designed the interior accommodate as much of the collection as possible.
This custom joinery design includes recessed LED lighting to show off the glassware. A recessed ceiling and lighting detail zones the sitting area of this open-plan space.
A sleek contemporary kitchen
An engineered Douglas Fir timber floor was installed throughout the interior and into the kitchen of the main open-plan space. The kitchen was carefully planned out so as not to dominate the room, while including as much storage as possible.
Furnishings were chosen to offer as much flexibility as possible, and this console table can extend out into a dining table for up to eight people. Special flat-folding dining chairs are kept within the adjacent storage.
Lighting design for flexible artwork hanging
We designed the lighting scheme to be as flexible as possible, so that artworks could me moved around and rehung as desired.
Here in the hallway we used gallery-style LED track lighting, so that artworks in any position can be lit perfectly. Using a deep-coloured textured wallcovering highlights the pictures, and they stand out from the surrounding wall.
Project Gallery
Project Story
This apartment in Farringdon, City of London had been converted from an old print works in the 1990s. Having been fitted out a long time ago, the interior wasn’t in keeping with the clean, contemporary style which best suits these repurposed industrial spaces. The client was looking for a modern refurbishment to being the apartment up-to-date, as well as to best showcase his collection of artwork.
We redesigned the hallway as a gallery space, complete with a flexible track lighting system. The lighting focuses attention on the individual pieces, and can be easily adjusted when the artworks are rehung from time-to-time. The deep textured wallcovering is a neutral backdrop against which the pictures stand out. A custom storage unit by the entrance door keeps the area tidy and includes shoe storage.
In the main space the lighting is again designed for the best viewing of the artworks, using a combination of track lighting and spotlights. The new flooring, continuing from the hallway, is a white-oiled engineered Douglas Fir – creating a bright, contemporary look. Electric window treatments offer a simple and effective way of controlling sunlight and also providing privacy. They can be controlled individually, or raised and lowered all together for simplicity and ease of use.
We increased the ceiling height in the lounge area of this newly-configured open-plan space. There was wasted space that we were keen to make use of, and by combining the architectural design of the ceiling with the recessed LED lighting and the layout of the furniture, the overall design subtly zones the different spaces.
A bespoke storage and display unit houses the clients’ collection of glassware. Underlit with LED lighting, these pieces are shown off to maximum effect, and additional LED lighting to the collection of art books balances the appearance of the unit. The unit also houses the large TV, and to prevent it from being a permanent focus of attention, a pair of sliding panels can be drawn across. As well as concealing the TV, these panels open up further display or shelving.
The kitchen is a sleek and modern handleless design, planned to conceal the appliances and maintain a neat appearance, as well as ensuring the kitchen doesn’t dominate this multi-purpose room.
The flexible nature of the room is underlined by an ingenious dining table. This functions as a console table most of the time, with an artwork lit above it. For use as a dining table it can extend to provide seating for up to eight people for family occasions, with the flat-folding chairs kept close by in the extensive storage cabinetry.
The bathroom was also refitted, with a leek shower room and custom-designed furniture to maximise the storage and functionality in a compact space.