Casswell Bank Architects

Enhancing the figure of a house with a lantern

25 Bonner Street is a unique, standalone mid-19th century building located near to Victoria Park in Bethnal Green, East London. The single bedroom house is compact with an unusual arrangement over three storeys surmounted by a roof terrace. Prior to being converted into a house the building formed part of an old high street and has served as a sweetshop, a mini-cab office and a tanning salon over the years.

The project focuses on the ground floor of the property and in particular the transformation of a highly visible side lean-to which had previously housed tanning salon showers. A new clerestory lantern is perched atop the old walls creating a characterful new shoulder that enhances the figure of the building. A dark, rough render applied to the front façade and the side lean-to creates a plinth that unifies previously separate elements.

The lantern’s façade is composed from solid laminated timber panels and glazing to flood the ground floor with natural light. An opening panel naturally ventilates the space. External rendered insulation improves comfort. Delicate timber columns painted in accents of colour march in pairs across the front of the new façade. This miniature frieze is encountered from afar coming into view soon after turning onto Bonner Street from Roman Road. It was designed with the idea of making a positive contribution to the wider street scene.

Internally the previously cramped and dark ground floor has been opened up to create a bright and airy kitchen and dining room entered directly from the street. The first floor plate was rebuilt with the grain of the ceiling structure exposed to the room below. A new insulated and heated floor was tiled in robust hand cut Italian terracotta. A bespoke terrazzo doorstep marks the threshold.

A combination of new and old pieces are brought together to make a convivial house; old characterful furniture combines with a freestanding stainless steel kitchen from Italy; existing and new painted timber joinery makes efficient use of limited space. Off white paints and polished marble plaster line the walls and ceilings throughout. These gentle finishes combine with diffuse natural light to create a comfortable and calming internal atmosphere.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Client: Private
• Date: 2018 - 2022
• Location: Bethnal Green, East London
• Local Authority: Tower Hamlets, Victoria Park Conservation Area
• Gross Floor Area: 57 sq.m
• Photography: David Grandorge
• Kitchen: Alpes Inox
• Reference Image Credit: A Mahogany Model Stand, unknown maker, c.1834, designed by Sir John Soane, Sir John Soane's Museum Collection, photo Hugh Kelly