The Bird in Hand, once a local watering hole of Hampstead until it changed hands to The Dome Cafe in the early 80’s and later Cafe Rouge, is a five-storey Victorian structure, which included two cramped flats to the upper floors, accessed via an external escape stair to the rear. It has been refurbished and extended to create two two-bedroom flats to the upper floors, offices to the first floor and flexible retail / restaurant spaces to the ground and basement floors. The client: “The refurbishment and extension of The Bird in Hand Hampstead was very complex, given its historic setting and our ambition to create something unique and of outstanding quality. Patalab responded to the project challenges extremely competently and working with them was a great experience from the initial concept sketches to hand-over. Their design radically transformed the internal arrangement of the building, making it more space efficient and placing a beautifully crafted staircase at its centre. With exceptional design skills, technical expertise and a thorough understanding of the construction process, Patalab are well rounded architects. But maybe even more importantly, through their personal engagement, professionalism and commitment to quality, they became trusted project partners.”