Set Square
A reworking of a tired 60s suburban house, choreographed around an imagined scenario of entertaining guests. The interior is conceived as an open space which acts as an extension of the garden.
Our client approached us, attracted by our bold and playful use of materials. Having made the move from his Central London Batchelor pad to the suburbs of Croydon he wanted to retain the feel of his modern apartment with an open-plan space that worked for entertaining while also allowing moments of privacy and comfort when home alone.
Rather than extend the footprint nimtim proposed repurposing the internal garage at the front of the house as a snug space and fully opening up the ground floor. The centrally placed expansive kitchen allows the client to welcome new visitors while remaining connected to those in the living and dining spaces. The angled kitchen is orientated to draw people into the space and frame views of the garden. This angle creates a dynamic play between the new spaces in what was an existing boxy cramped layout.
Key to the design was making the existing ground floor interior feel like an extension of the garden. Materials were carefully considered, particularly in terms of flooring, allowing each space to be intimate within an open plan layout.
The floor materials transition through the space at angular thresholds, gradually becoming more robust and external. Rich oak parquet floor with timber blocks cut to reflect the size of the brick pavers lines the snug and gives way to warm earthy terracotta square tiles which finally merges with a harder but still warm toned red brick paver laid out in a basket weave. The brick pavers continue into the rear garden forming an external angled terrace which seamlessly merges the interior and exterior spaces.
A palette of muted greens forms kitchen doors, integrated joinery and an open staircase within the ground floor apartment. These pieces act as objects with the green tones forming a space to relax in and with a stronger connection to the outdoors.
“nimtim were a pleasure to work with from the very beginning and gave me the confidence not to compromise on any of their amazing ideas. The result is a uniquely modern, flowing and functional light filled space with character that is a delight to live in”
The project was completed in Summer 2020
