The Art of Design Issue 62 2023 | Page 42

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BLOOMSBURY MANSION

APARTMENT , LONDON

- LLI DESIGN

LLI Design were commissioned to completely redesign and refurbish a period apartment in a grand mansion block in the heart of Bloomsbury London .
Situated in the historic heartland of the west end and close to the theatres of Covent Garden this 2 bedroom apartment hadn ’ t been renovated in many years so was in effect a blank canvas to create a beautiful pied a terre for the clients .
The brief was to keep and enhance the period details of the apartment , incorporating the clients ’ inherited furniture pieces and combining them with new contemporary pieces to create an eclectic mix that suited the clients aesthetic .
Existing Layout The layout of the existing apartment was based around a long central corridor with rooms on either side .
All rooms enjoyed high ceilings , original cornices , skirtings , architraves ; and generously proportioned windows . The central corridor that joined all the rooms , although in the centre of the apartment , had the benefit of borrowed light via fan lights above most of the room doors .
The two bathrooms were typically proportioned for an Edwardian mansion flat and were small and relatively dark .
On the north side of the apartment there were two reception rooms and a bedroom . On the south side of the apartment there was a further reception room , the kitchen , and another bedroom . On the west side of the apartment there were two bathrooms .
The rooms on the north side of the apartment overlooked the central courtyard of the grand mansion block , with the nearest adjacent tall building circa 5 metres away . The rooms on the south side of the apartment had views towards the city with the nearest adjacent tall structure some distance away . The effect of this is that
there was a stark contrast in natural light levels between the north and south side of the apartment .
Revised Layout To make the apartment work for the clients and to maximise all the space available it was decided to amend the layout as