Have you just taken on a project? Or, let’s be honest, with the market still a little challenging, perhaps it’s easier to upcycle your current pad than to move. Tough decisions, we know: move or improve? So we thought we’d share some interior inspiration that might help you decide. Whether you’re embarking on a major renovation or more modest plans, here’s how to create a one-of-a-kind home from any property.
How to turn any property into a true one-of-a-kind
Unique homes are not always converted grain barns or Grade I-listed Jacobean manor houses. We all have that little something about our own space that gives us that one-of-a-kind feeling, particularly when we’ve had some involvement in its creation.
1. Open up
Changing the relationship between rooms and spaces can dramatically affect the way a property looks, feels and functions. Removing narrow corridors to widen a living or dining room, knocking a tiny kitchen into a larger open-plan living space, or opening up the back of a property to blur the lines between inside and out can all take a typical layout into surprising new territory.
The dynamics of this house for sale in Nunhead changed entirely when every non-structural interior ground-floor wall was removed, allowing an effortless flow into each zoned area.
Converted Mechanics Workshop | Borland Road | Nuhead SE15 | For Sale OIEO £1,150,000
2. Play with light
Lifting spaces out of darkness immediately adds a positive vibe. Can you borrow light from an adjoining room? High-level glass inserted into a wall can pull light through without encroaching on privacy, while vertical glass interventions can add an architectural flourish and increase the sense of space without losing separation.
Nearly half the entire floor area of this pub conversion for sale in Canonbury is dedicated to open-plan living. The glazed atrium, with access to a private 1,000 sq ft roof terrace, throws natural light right into the centre of the living area.
Distinctive Islington Penthouse | St Pauls Road | Canonbury | London | N1 FOR SALE £1,299,000
3. Smash the ceiling
Attics can provide some of the most eye-catching improvements to a property. Instead of the regular loft conversion of simply adding more bedrooms, usually a principal suite, try creating something more dramatic. Double the height of existing bedrooms by removing the ceiling for cathedral-like results, or create a mezzanine for a partial double-height void along with extra floor space.
The architect and artist owners of this huge apartment were very ahead of their time, opting to dispense with walls and ceilings at their beautiful school conversion for sale in East Dulwich.
Old School Building | St Clement’s Yard | Archdale Road | London | SE22 FOR SALE £1,975,000
4. Period panes
Simply modernising windows, whether indoors or outside, can alter a property’s appearance and interior mood. If you get it right, contemporary glazing can fuse period architecture and fierce modernity with remarkable ease. A wall of bi-folding doors onto a garden in place of a plain wall and single door, taking half-height windows right down to the floor, or adding skylights to look at the heavens can all make a powerful difference. But do be mindful of your neighbours. On a typical street of Victorian or Georgian terraces, you might want to keep your wilder ideas to the back of the building.
The Crittall styling at this industrial conversion for sale in East London adds real drama to the interior, pairing beautifully with all the exposed brickwork.
Canal Side Warehouse Apartment | Limehouse Cut | London | E14 FOR SALE £1,095,000
5. Dig deeper
Basement conversions are still fashionable, although some London boroughs have placed stricter rules around them. That said, extraordinary things are happening under the homes of the rich and famous. But you don’t need to be a rock star with a huge Kensington pile to unlock the potential beneath your feet. Anywhere with a cellar has the potential for greatness, although be mindful that excavation is more expensive than mere conversion. Many a music studio has been hewn from former coal bunkers, with light either borrowed from the grate or introduced through toughened glass in the floor above.
The basement of this off-market Huguenot house for sale at £4.75 million in Spitalfields has incredible flexibility, serving as a guest room, self-contained living space, home gym and place of study over the last 30 years for its current owners.
For more information about this historic home, please speak to Simon Stone directly on 020 3987 1739.
Hopefully, that’s enough to get your cogs turning and your pencils sharpened. With a bit of imagination and a healthy dose of Pinteresting, almost any property can be turned into a unique home. We’ll revisit this subject often with examples and images, so do stay tuned.
If anything here has piqued your interest, please call 020 3987 1739 or email [email protected] to speak to one of our friendly team members.
