JOSEPH PAGET
ARCHITECT
ARCHITECT
Client: Private
Location: Waltham Forest
Status: Construction
Interior remodelling of a 1960’s maisonette in the Orford Road Conservation Area, Walthamstow.
The maisonette sits within the Park Court development - a mid-century apartment building and row of terraced houses in Walthamstow, designed by the borough’s architect F.G. Southgate and built in 1962. Many (if not all) of the apartments have undergone significant alterations in their lifetimes - this maisonette was in need of updating, creating the opportunity for a significant renovation. It was the client’s view that given this opportunity, the property should showcase details typical of its period.
A series of adjustments and improvements to the apartment was proposed, with a view to undertaking the entrance level to begin with. A modern take on an existing serving hatch has been designed into a piece of floor-to-ceiling joinery, acting as a division between the kitchen and living spaces but maintaining the practical and social benefits of an open plan space. Fluted glass sections within the joinery allow the passage of light between the spaces without compromising their sense of separation.
A bespoke kitchen with hardwood veneers and Formica-style laminates echo the functional design of the building’s period, providing a compact but well organised kitchen space. Textured glossy tiles bounce light around the space and the combination of block colours, rich hardwoods and exposed cabinet edges gives the space a graphic appearance without undermining the high quality of its base materials.