Designing stillness
The brief was small: one extra bedroom under the roof. The interesting part was never the room, it was how the new dormer would sit against a terrace that had barely changed in a century.
The brief was small: one extra bedroom under the roof. The interesting part was never the room, it was how the new dormer would sit against a terrace that had barely changed in a century.
We started from the street. Before drawing a single plan we photographed the whole row, then traced the rhythm of the existing dormers, their pitch, their setback from the parapet.
Keeping the line
The temptation on a loft is to grab as much headroom as planning allows. We did the opposite and pulled the box back, letting the original roofline stay the dominant gesture from the pavement.
Inside, that restraint gave us a low, calm ceiling near the eaves and a single tall slot of light where the bed sits. The room feels larger for being darker at its edges.
Materials
Lime render outside to match the neighbours, weathered zinc on the new cheeks, and a warm oiled ply lining within. Nothing shiny, nothing that will date.
About the author
Polina Morova is an architect and writer based in East London. She runs PMO, a small studio focused on careful renovation.