XUL Architecture reconfigures two adjacent duplex flats

Situated on the third floor of a Victorian conversion, two duplex apartments in Hampstead had one major issue to resolve: to improve the circulation throughout the property. North London-based XUL Architecture considered many options for this property before considering moving the staircase to the centre of the building. There was one hurdle though – the staircase had to be positioned underneath the chimney stack with millimetres to spare.

These two adjacent duplex flats were previously converted into one apartment, but the two staircases remained. With this renovation, XUL was keen to resolve this issue, creating greater floor space and greatly-improved movement through the property.

The homeowners, living in Brussels and relocating to London, purchased the property and asked XUL to reconfigure the space to centralise the circulation and have only one staircase. The entire project was designed and managed with the clients living abroad, so good communication was key to its success, one of XUL Architecture’s key factors on all projects.

The key to unlocking the potential of this property was installing a staircase which worked with the building. The first section of the staircase rises to a lower landing, turning right underneath the chimney stack and left into a new staircase rising to the upper floor. This clever reduction in the landing height allowed for space to walk under the chimney and created a beautiful feature that is the talking point with all guests. This reconfiguration also allowed for a larger vestibule and a guest toilet to be installed.