KIM Oflage Studio
KIM Oflage Studio
Delve Architects
MANUFACTURERS
Rak Ceramics, Astro Lighting, Claybrook, Claybrook Studio, Recork, Smile Plastics
LOCATION
United Kingdom
CATEGORY
Residential Architecture, Offices, Extension
Text description provided by architect.
A bespoke garden studio for a growing family in South London, KIM-oflage by Delve Architects provides a colourful space for sleep, work, painting and relaxing.
Homeowners Kit and Imogen had loved working with Delve Architects on a timber-clad extension to their Victorian terrace home in Nunhead in 2018. However, with a growing family, their choice was either to move or solve their need for more space in a different way.
The two looked at the empty space at the bottom of the garden, a dark, damp corner used to collect garden cuttings and home to a few dead trees/bushes.
They imagined in its place a new flexible garden studio, providing an opportunity to live/work and play. Working with Delve, the new studio mirrors the design of the rear extension in form, but uses green glazed tiles as a facade to hide amongst the mature garden planting, hence the name KIM-oflage.
The studio interiors were split into different zones using colour and changing materials, with a space for sleeping, working, yoga, a small kitchenette and large doors which open outwards onto a newly laid patio area.
Separately, garden storage has been provided through a hidden, flush doorway to maintain the utility aspect of the garden plot for Kit and Imogen.
Permitted development guidelines were pushed to the limit to create the largest possible studio.
With pitched roofs to avoid overshadowing neighbours, the studio receives ample natural light, especially in the evening, where the setting sun is amplified by a pink lime wash that also works to zone the seating area and separate it from the 'working' parts of the studio.
Alex Raher, Delve Architects: "At Delve, we value the relationships we build with our residential clients, so getting to work with Kit & Imogen again was such a lovely experience.
The challenges of the site and planning rules were there, but KIM-oflage really shows how much can be done with a great client and an eye for colour."
Kit & Imogen, Client: "We asked a lot from Delve. We wanted a space that could provide guest accommodation, a place to work, a place to do hobbies, garden storage and seating for enjoying the garden.
In addition to this, it was important that the space complemented its natural surroundings, was sensitive to our neighbours and also worked with the extension we did as part of the renovations in 2018.
Oh, and did we mention just how narrow our garden is? The space constraints were very real.
Delve dug deep and came up with a design that does it all."
