Feix&Merlin Architects have completed a private residential warehouse refurbishment in Rotherhithe, right on the banks of the River Thames. The project involved the removal of a concrete plinth and further excavation to approx. 1m below the previous finished floor level, to create new useable floor area which was turned into a new open plan dining room and study. This was an extensive and complex dig requiring full planning and conservation area consent as well as a flood risk assessment / consent due to its location. The whole warehouse unit was remodelled and the layout re-arranged, then carefully reinstated with a full interior refurbishment throughout. F&M designed a new bespoke kitchen, bathroom, guest bedroom, as well as a striking new ensuite to the master bedroom with new bespoke wardrobes, staircases and finishes throughout. The volume of the space was opened up by the removal of a section of the upper floor, creating a double-height space over the kitchen and allowing the reinstatement of a previously blocked up window, to allow daylight to flood into the new spaces created by the internal excavation. The new void over the kitchen is framed by new steel framed reeded glass balustrades to the master bedroom on top and the living space on the middle floor – exposing and opening up the split-level arrangement of the apartment. The custom designed kitchen features a concrete ribbon that forms the breakfast bar, then travels up and over the worktop to create one cohesive overall piece of furniture. The ensuite to the master bedroom, appears to float over the living room, and features metal framed windows with reeded glass for privacy. “We knew that in order to successfully improve on the spatial experience of the apartment, we needed to take floor area away, create the double height space over the kitchen and give the apartment some room to breathe. Understandably this initially wasn’t an easy decision for the client, it felt a little counter-intuitive. But with the excavation and the additional space gained by that it all fell into place. We achieved an amazing transformation.” Julia Feix, Feix & Merlin Architects About Hope Wharf Hope Wharf is a warehouse that has been converted to residential use in the year 2000 by Hawkins Brown. It is sited upon the South river bank of the river Thames in Rotherhithe village. The building is not listed but is located in the St Marys Rotherhithe Conservation area in direct vicinity to St Mary’s Church and the famous local Free House The Mayflower, dating back to 1620. Photographer’s Credit: Jim Stephenson External Site photo by Feix&Merlin