MODERN MEWS

Renovating a dilapidated, four-storey mews house with crafted joinery and a light-soaked core

Modern staircase with wooden steps and glass railing, white brick wall, concrete fireplace with flames, and a book on the fireplace

A trusting client and curious design vision led us to gut the home, keeping only the envelope at Modern Mews. We inserted beautiful sculptural timber and glazing elements to connect the spaces clearly. We also designed a stair to the centre of the house and made it reach all floors.

Light penetrates the new glazed roof above and through the staircase’s open treads and glazed landings, allowing daylight into the previously dark lower reaches of the house. The transparency also allows a visual connection between floors.

Modern interior hallway with wooden slats and a view into a bedroom with large windows, potted plants, and a bed with a gray blanket.

A PIECE OF JOINERY TO LIVE IN

The project is like a large piece of joinery that is inserted into the existing house envelope.

Architectural diagram of a multi-story building with various rooms, staircases, and structural details, shown in a wireframe style on a black background.

Modern residential building featuring a ground-floor open living space with large glass doors, white shutters on the upper window, and an entryway with opened wooden doors revealing a woman and a small child inside. Exterior decor includes potted plants and a cobblestone pathway.

VISUAL CONNECTIONS & LIGHT

Glazed floors to the front and centre of the plan allow natural light to the floor below (a floor that used to have no natural light at all) as well as creating visual connections between the floors.

Interior view of a modern apartment with a glass door, showing a cozy seating area with a wooden chair, a side table with a flower, a small rug, a staircase, and a kitchenette area with wooden cabinets and a plant.

OPENNESS & TRANSPARENCY

The Ground Floor Kitchen and Dining Area have full height and width oak framed bi-folding door offering direct connection to the mews. Integrated blinds allow different degrees of privacy when required. Glazed floors between the floors create connections and openness between the floors.

Wooden staircase with open risers, glass railing, and vertical wooden slats on the side.

"I have just put my son to sleep in his bedroom and walked downstairs to the kitchen, and am sitting at our table. As I moved through the house on this brief journey, I thought of you and your team of wonderful people because it was a beautiful journey. Our home is a space beautifully conceived and realised."

- Client, Modern Mews

Interior view of a modern house using wood and white materials, featuring a split-level open space with wooden slats, stairs, and natural lighting.

LAYERING, DEPTH & ADAPTABILITY

The sliding doors give the users a possibility of more privacy if required. Even when the sliding doors are shut light is still allowed to enter due to translucent, rice paper glass and oak louvres. The central stair in combination with the translucent sliding doors enable light to penetrate the whole house as well as creating visible links between the levels.

Technical architectural floor plan showing multiple levels, rooms, stairs, and structural details in black, white, and shades of gray.

Wooden door with a glass section in the middle, leading to a staircase with glass flooring. There is a handrail, a peephole, and a doorbell on the door, with potted plants in the background.

CARVING

The detailing of the joinery has been done so it looks like a carved piece of wood.

View of a modern wooden staircase and a bedroom with a bed, blankets, and colorful pillows.

Close-up view of a modern wooden staircase with a white brick wall in the background.

Interior view of a modern, minimalist space with a wooden partition and a balcony. One side shows a person walking into the space, while the other side shows the view without a person. There is a black pot with a plant in front of the partition.

SEAMLESSNESS

The bathrooms have seamless corian finish on walls and floors to achieve clean finish as well as low maintenance. The floor steps up and becomes the bathtub. At the Lower Ground the polished concrete floor merges with the fireplace creating a special moment at the bottom of the stairs. The heaviness of the concrete creates a contrast to the lightness of the oak stair above.