Most of London's handsome townhouses have gone through many different lives; often originally built as majestic, several-storeys high single family houses, but then subdivided into apartments, shops and offices as times and need changed in the ever-evolving British capital. This also pretty much sums up the story of a canalside property that Emrys Architects recently completely transformed from a neglected and fragmented old building, including retail and flats, into two generous and contemporary homes.
Canal House, as its name suggests, sits right on one of London's key waterways, Regents Canal, in north London. When new owners acquired three floors of a four-storey town house with a view to renovate, and their upstairs neighbours swiftly followed suit, appointing the same architects, Emrys found themselves in the fortunate position of having to redesign the whole structure; which helped them to address both structural and design issues in a consistent and holistic way.
Canal House is a transformed historical waterside property in London, designed by Emrys Architects.
A key priority was allowing plenty of light into the building, and especially the fairly dark basement. This was achieved by placing large glazed openings in key areas – a strip window that overlooks the lower ground floor, a shopfront style facade towards the street, and glass doors that open onto balconies towards the canal. Thecarefully chosen opacity and placement of the glass ensured the owners' privacy was not compromised.
Inside, working with often narrow and awkward spaces, the architects used intelligent spatial arrangement and divisions such as sliding partitions to make the most of the available room. Now, the design reads as a coherent whole, contemporary and warm, featuring bespoke joinery and exposed ceilings. An open-plan living space on the first floor looks out towards the water, celebrating the house's picturesque positioning and characteristic London views
The studio added a large shopfront style window on the ground level to maximise light.
The architects updated and unified the different spaces that were poorly maintained and subdivided by past owners.
The architects had to work with awkward spaces and lack of natural light but they succesfully updated the structure.
The property comprises of two apartments, one of the three lower levels and one at the top; all of which were redesigned by Emrys.
Full sized windows were added towards the canal to allow plenty of sunlight in, while maintaining the owners' privacy.
The architects went for a modern, and at places, sculptural design.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Emrys Architects
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
This modern Cotswolds home draws on its ancient woodland contextThis contemporary Cotswolds home, designed by NCA Architecture with interiors by Echlin, is a slice of the Mediterranean in the English countryside
-
A Danish twist, compact architecture, and engineering magic: the Don’t Move, Improve 2025 winners are hereDon’t Move, Improve 2025 announces its winners, revealing the residential projects that are rethinking London living
-
This Hampstead house renovation in London transcends styles and periodsThe renovation of a Hampstead house in London by Belgian architect Hans Verstuyft bridges the classic and the contemporary
-
London’s Sloane Street has been transformed into a ‘green boulevard’Iconic shopping destination Sloane Street has had a facelift, now boasting wider pavements, enhanced seating and lighting, and a massive planting scheme
-
New book takes you inside Frinton Park Estate: the Essex modernist housing scheme‘Frinton Park Estate’, a new book by photographer James Weston, delves into the history of a modernist housing scheme in Essex, England
-
Conran Building's refresh brings a beloved London landmark into the 21st centuryConran Building at 22 Shad Thames has been given a new lease of life by Squire & Partners, which has rethought the London classic, originally designed by Hopkins, for the 21st century
-
Inside Powerhouse: The redevelopment of Lots Road Power Station, which once fuelled the London UndergroundThe twin-turreted building has followed in the footsteps of Battersea Power Station, being transformed into luxury homes and retail units
-
Sadler’s Wells East opens: ‘grand, unassuming and beautifully utilitarian’Sadler’s Wells East by O’Donnell and Tuomey opens this week, showing off its angular brick forms in London
