A“bunker” isn’t usually at the top of homeowner wishlists, but in Jürgen Blondeel and Mike Cork’s case it made sense to explore ways they could use the sloping topography on which their south London home sits to meet their needs.
Back when they began deciding what to do with it, the ground floor consisted of a narrow hallway, small living room, tiny kitchen and dining room. “It was all really poky,” says Jürgen. They refurbished the property and made it liveable but, for the first few years, the couple only used a small section of the house and ate meals on their laps in front of the television upstairs. “The kitchen wasn’t really big enough for both of us to be in at the same time, so when we converted the loft, one of the bedrooms became a TV room because I don’t like having the telly in the living room.”
Jürgen’s work in financial services took the couple to Canada for three years. Living in a modern apartment there made them re-evaluate how they were using their London home. “Once we came back to London, we knew we had to make changes,” he says.
In 2020 they started with the front of the property, adding a porch and outdoor seating area. “We built the porch because we wanted to remove the walls of the narrow hallway and needed a new entry space,” Jürgen explains. “The seating area to the front also allows us to connect with the community.”
The view from the living room. Jürgen Blondeel: ‘When we came back to London [from Canada], we knew we had to make changes.’ Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer
After this, they started considering how they could improve the ground floor further. “We found Bolans Architects and Lanre Falase was completely aligned with what we wanted to achieve,” Jürgen says. “He basically painted a picture that I had dreamed of many times before, but never thought possible.”
Digging out the area under their terrace allowed them to replan their ground floor layout. The space is now entirely open and uses furniture and colour to zone the interiors, while luxury vinyl timber-style tiles from Karndean Flooring help maintain a seamless flow from the front to the back of the property. Central to the concept is an internal courtyard, which was partly created out of necessity to cover a manhole rather than relocate it. “We had to build some kind of space where we could easily get to the manhole cover.” This outside area features a small pond and a striking pink open-tread staircase, which leads to the bijou garden terrace tiled using Istanbul hexagon from yourtiles.com.
“There’s always been a pond, but it was up on the terrace level, so we never really saw it unless we went up there,” Jürgen says. “We felt that it would be nice to have the pond closer to the house, almost, something similar to what you find in traditional Moroccan riads.”
The idea for the perforated steel stairs leading up to the terrace evolved from Mike and Jürgen’s desire to have a flight that would not block the natural light. “We found this steel manufacturer who created these open-tread stairs that are highly durable and resistant to sunlight and rain.” Maximising the amount of natural brightness was a continual theme during the project and glazing has been used so effectively that the boundaries between the interiors and exteriors really do blur and connect to help establish airy spaces.
The couple chose perforated steel stairs to maximise natural light. Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer
A striking yellow Puccini kitchen is located at the centre of the plan. “We chose the colour last minute and it’s very vibrant, which works well with the smoky glass doors and the dark wooden handles we’ve selected.” A clever suspended sink allows them to enjoy views out from the living room to the courtyard and vice versa. “That was Lanre’s idea,” says Jürgen. “I initially didn’t want anything there, because I wanted people to be able to see straight through the house into the courtyard and then the garden behind that from the front door.” However, Jürgen and Mike also wanted to be able to look outside while doing dishes or prepping food. They took this idea to the kitchen designer who made it work better than they’d imagined.
Looking back, buying the ugliest house on a pretty cul-de-sac in London was a smart move for the couple, especially now that the former three-bedroom terrace has been transformed into a home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. They no longer have to eat their meals upstairs, but can entertain guests around the spacious dining table complete with a playful backdrop created by the Wonderland Tropical Gold Holden wallpaper.
The highlight of the renovation is a place where the couple can retire in the evening, it’s the realisation of Jürgen’s dream in the form of an inviting new underground den, fondly referred to by the couple as “the bunker”.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/08/bunker-mentality-a-moroccan-riad-inspires-a-rethink-of-a-london-home
