The conversion of a two–storey terraced house in East London for an artist and her teenage daughter to maximise space in the house, introduce a lot of natural light, and give a high degree of flexibility to accommodate future changes in the clients’ living patterns.

Mezzanine levels were added to allow for extra space below the shallow roof, and the former garage undercroft was converted into a separable and self-contained zone that could be rented out, with it’s own entrance to the street. This can be opened up further to create a three storey flat, left as an individual single storey space, or opened up to create extra rooms for the house.

A number of unusual and innovative staircases link the different levels, including alternate tread plywood steps that double as storage shelves, and a ladder built using birch logs sourced on the common opposite the site. A large hinged wall section with built-in storage acts to close-off the flat space, and a removable floor section above the flat stair can be removed and used as balustrade and bookshelf as required.