Cannon Place House, New Hampstead Property, London Residential Building, Project, Photo, Design

House in Cannon Place, London Hampstead Property

Contemporary Hampstead Residence, north London design by Belsize Architects

2 Aug 2010

Cannon Place Property

Location: north London

Date built: 2005

Design: Belsize Architects

The property, located on a narrow street close to Hampstead Village and the Heath, was comprised originally of three flats.

The Client was interested from the outset in an uncompromising contemporary design. The brief was to make the house into a modern home, full of light, and to ensure that there was a “wow” factor on the raised ground and lower ground floors. The brief also required the transformation of the back of the house by extending it and forming a spatial connection between the house and the garden, with new, low-key landscaping to complement the overall design.

The main external architectural intervention is to the back of the building, in the form of a new extension at lower ground floor, the roof of which, partially covered in structural glass, becomes a terrace which is reached from the raised ground floor. The rear extension has its own patio at lower level with a tall granite wall, part of which forms a waterfall from the garden above.

Internally, the spaces were redesigned extensively. The new lower ground floor was excavated further to allow even higher ceilings. It encompasses the kitchen, eating area and family living room.

At entry level the raised ground floor contains the formal living and dining room, completely open to each other and with a new, specially cantilevered staircase connecting the two floors. The staircase is made up of a folded steel sheet connected to a steel beam within the wall. The steel plates are then clad in walnut, with a glass balustrade connected to the side.

Another important element in the room is a leather-covered side unit, which curves around at the top and continues across the ceiling. The unit contains a dumb waiter from the kitchen below, a bar, TV set and storage, and incorporates lighting at the top.

On the floor above is the master bedroom suite, with bathroom, walk-in-wardrobe and study. The bathroom, clad in Crema Marfil stone, has a walk-in shower. A large glass screen separates the shower from the vanity unit behind. The glass partition has a strip of mirror within in front of the vanity unit.