Bloomsbury's Doughty Mews may seem at first unassuming – but its rich, modern residential architecture proves otherwise. Jamie Fobert's award-winning Levring House new-build adorns its south corner, while renovations by Piers Ford and Dean Hawkes sit further up the tiny mews street.
The latest addition to this collection comes in the form of a duo of small but perfectly formed house refurbishments by the practice of architect Roz Barr.
The two properties were owned by Goodenough Collage, 'a charitable foundation providing postgraduate accommodation in Bloomsbury', explains Barr, who won the invited competition for the project two years ago. Set within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area of Camden – having originally been used as stables and serving quarters for the more affluent nearby properties of Doughty Street – these buildings needed careful architectural consideration and a design that would respect and nurture their heritage.
The houses' small scale was behind most of the project's key challenges. The architects had to maximise light in the two buildings, which were not allowed to have rear or side openings at all; the team also had to create a sense of space and airiness within a fairly narrow footprint – at the narrowest point each property reached just 1.5m in width.
Barr responded to this challenges with a few confident, small gestures and minimalist flair. The issue of natural lighting was resolved with new roof openings towards the rear of the property. By cleverly keeping the material language simple and using wood panelling and block colouring, the architects were able to give the interiors a sense of spaciousness. Solid oiled timber floorboards run the length of the property to enhance visual continuity.
The structure's fabric was also in desperate need of an update – the original timber frame was retained and reinforced, and the masonry walls were treated for damp and leaks. Existing windows were replaced with black oiled timber framed double glazed elements.
Combining old and new in a historically sensitive and spatially challenging context, Barr and her team created a set of mews houses that punch well above their weight.
Block colouring and a consistent, carefully chosen material palette helps give the houses ample sense of space; attention to detail was equally important, seen here in the staircase's solid wood joinery (pictured right)
Solid oiled timber floorboards run the length of the property to create visual continuity
Skylights were inserted towards the rear of the properties to help bring in natural lighting, as the houses cannot have openings to the back and sides of their plots
INFORMATION
For more information on Roz Barr visit the website
Photography: John Maclean
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designCreativity leaps the screen at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s record-flying roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The modernist home of musician Imogen Holst gets Grade II listingThe daughter of the composer Gustav Holst lived here from 1964 until her death, during which time the home served a locus for her own composition work, which included assisting Benjamin Britten
-
This fun and free-spirited photography exhibition offers a chromatic view on the world‘Chromotherapia’ at Villa Medici in Rome, explores how we view colour as a way of therapy, and how it has shaped photography over the last century (until 9 June 2025)
-
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
