Heath Flat faces south, overlooking Hampstead Heath and receiving sunlight from morning to evening through its projecting bay windows. With its inherent deep plan arrangement, bringing this abundance of sunlight into the heart of the space was paramount.
By replacing heavy masonry walls with new steel portal frames the existing rooms are opened up, but instead of concealing the structural alterations the steelwork is exposed and cerebrated. New timber-framed glazed screens are inserted within these steel frames.
Original proportions of the rooms are maintained, with the retention of cornices and fire places left as-found. These sliding screens create an enfilade that emphasises the unique depth of the building while providing flexibility and agency over how these spaces are used.
The interior of the flat references the Japanese Mingei movement of the 1930s, incorporating many handmade surfaces with wealth of texture and colour. From 150-year-old reclaimed oak boards, the floor is arranged in a traditional Korean style. This dark timber, with a gentle sheen flows through every space, giving an order of grid and modularity. Like a tatami mat, the prefabricated floor panels allowed the fast installation with minimum on-site alterations. The polished surface to reflects natural light deep into the space, the undulating surface of the old wood soft under one’s feet.
Reclaimed Spanish terracotta tiles line the kitchen and bathroom floors. Celadon coloured glazed wall tiles receive and diffuse northern light and provide backdrop for a freestanding Hinoki bathtub crafted in Japan.
Granby Workshop in Liverpool, a forerunner of the 21st century arts and crafts movement in the UK, produced a reclaimed terrazzo worktop and smoked ceramic doorknobs. The bespoke doorknob design was derived from wooden logs found in the Heath by cutting into specifically chosen samples to form a grip. The form, colour and texture of the wooden objects were translated into each unique handle; cast in ceramic from recycled clay and smoked in a barbeque grill to imbue a distinctive, deep, charred colour.
