Contemporary Penthouse Apartment in a Converted Church on Abbey Road

A contemporary apartment in St Johns Wood, one of thirteen other apartments in a converted orthodox church. Near the famous Beatles crossing and the Abbey Road Studios.

The shape of the main area resembled half a cake, with identical towers on either side of it.  Both towers contain a bedroom each and storage.

The high ceilings in the central space are now fully utilised.  We created a curved steel mezzanine that has been turned into a master bedroom.  It is clad with frameless glazing and overlooks the kitchen, living and dining area below. The frameless glazing on the mezzanine and a new walnut and oak staircase follow down to the main level.

The central area has been decluttered.  It initially came with two entrance doors and several internal doors, which were dividing up this exceptional space. We were able to remove all previous doors and join the spaces into one.

The new kitchen comes with a wide range cooker, fridge and freezer drawers, an island unit with wine fridge and a full height storage. A custom shaped stainless steel worktop contrasts with the adjacent concrete walls and splash backs.

Either side of the new kitchen, we designed concrete clad bathrooms with a fully lit ceiling made of plexiglass panels. The walls and flooring are made of real concrete panels. While underfloor heating keeps these spaces warm, the panels themselves seem to emanate a cooling feeling. Both the ventilation and lighting are hidden above.  The ceiling also allowed us to integrate the overhead shower. In one bathroom we integrated the washing machine within a beautifully detailed walnut joinery, and the other has a suave Laufen bath with integrated mood lighting and Aquavision TV to help to unwind after a busy day.

New walnut furniture was custom designed throughout and provides storage in the often difficult shaped spaces.