While scrolling through Instagram during a chilly evening at home, I stopped upon a photo of a living room in unexpected colors, like something out of Bemelman’s Bar. I later learned that the homeowner, Zoe, in describing her vision for the space, summed up our recent aspirations: “After living in predominantly white spaces for the past few years, I find myself starved for color.” . “I wanted a vibrant, upscale space.”
The four-storey house in Dalston, UK, belongs to Zoe, an actress, and Benedict, a cinematographer, who brought in London-based firm Bradley Van Der Straeten and architect Jessica Williamson to transform the newly purchased space. “Because we know the clients so well, we had the opportunity to view the house before they made an offer,” say the architects. (They had previously worked with Zoe on the renovation of her flat in Hampstead.) “This enabled us to provide some initial advice and ideas. We also knew that whatever we were starting together would be fun.
The main changes came in the form of the chassis. The townhouse is divided into two separate dwellings: a first-floor apartment and a “family apartment,” as the architects call it, occupying the upper three floors, accessible only via a flight of external stairs. “What struck us about the building was the feel of a large urban Brooklyn home, the generous proportions of the main living areas and the beautiful large windows,” say the architects.
The brief from this creative duo was three-dimensional: combine two homes into one, restore the stately bones of the top three floors, and inject lots and lots of colour. “Being a cinematographer, Benedict’s artistic interest and knowledge meant we had to be on our A game when it came to lighting and styling for natural daylight,” the team adds.
Let’s see how it turns out.
Photography by French and Tai, courtesy of Bradley van der Straeten.
