London-based architecture studio, David Kohn Architects, has transformed the top of a 19th-century Covent Garden warehouse with an unexpected addition. Dubbed Smart's Place, it’s a two-story home that feels more like a freestanding house with its own patch of ground, even though it’s an extension of a flat roof.
The 3,046-sq-ft (283-sq-m) home is covered almost entirely in brick, with each one turned on its narrow side and stacked vertically with no staggering, creating a tighter and more textured look. This is in contrast to the usual sideways stacked brickwork found in surrounding buildings, even though the dark plum color and pale mortar give them a nod.
On the ground floor, there is the dining room, library, and lounge arranged in an enfilade layout, where the spaces are connected in a sequence with no doors between them, treating it as one continuous space that is easily accessible and perfect for hosting parties.
Each room faces southward, with bay windows and a terrace providing visual access to London’s skyline. Behind the enfilade is the kitchen, stairs, and bathrooms, as well as the lift for accessing the main building, whose owner bought to serve as an office.
The owner is a collector of art and ceramics, and that’s clear when you head up to the first floor using the staircase illuminated by circular skylights from above. Shelving and wood paneling run through the two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, plus there's a study on this floor too. There are also picture rails throughout for hanging art.
Like downstairs, each room has its own bay windows, but set back a bit to leave room for private terraces. The landscaping for these terraces and those below was designed by renowned landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan.
David Kohn Architects has a strong record with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), winning its House of the Year competition in 2022 for its design for the Red House. One of the elements the judges praised was the enfilade, which they said 'magically flows' starting 'from the entrance to the living, kitchen, and dining area.'
The studio’s founder, David Kohn, told Dezeen that the Red House in Dorset played a role in Smart's Place’s design. "The project recalls many precedents from domestic architecture through the ages – Sir John Soane's Museum to the Villa Necchi in Milan – and previous practice projects, from Red House to A Room for London," he said. You can see these influences scattered throughout, including the dining niche tucked in the curved bay windows.
The following year, the studio’s design for The Cowshed – a residential conversion in Middle Rocombe Farm in rural Devon that was made from a cattle shed – was celebrated as one of Britain's best new homes. It was among the 20 finalists for RIBA’s House of the Year.
Sadly, it didn’t win. However, what the Red House and Cowshed show about David Kohn Architects is that the studio has a knack for turning plain shells into homes full of character.
Smart's Place was completed for developer Baylight Properties, and took two years to build.
Source: David Kohn Architects
