The Fitzroy Terrace by Taylor Knights Architecture and Interior Design transforms a ‘dark, damp and poorly ventilated’ home into a naturally lit and expansive feeling home. The brief from the clients was to create a series of flexible connected spaces ‘that would host not only their private lives but also their love for entertaining.’ They also specified that while they wanted a refined and resolved new design, the architecture should still retain the ‘grittiness and honesty of its past.’
The architects have created a flexible space to reflect the owner’s lifestyle, with two bedrooms, two living areas, a study, one bathroom, a kitchen for entertaining and abundant outdoor spaces. The initial focus was to welcome light into the narrow site ‘through a series of light-catching volumes and openings.’ This was achieved through the sunken living room, sweeping ceiling and high windows, and the addition of more outdoor living space to ‘diffuse lightness and distill darkness.’
Taylor Knights describe the material palette as one of ‘delicate opposition’, where finishes either absorb or reflect the newly introduced light in the home. The robust materials of concrete and brick also extend the longevity of the home, which has already stood the test of time. The wave form of the concrete ceiling introduces a contemporary form to the historic home, and the long-lasting materials helps tie together the old and new.
