Hampstead Studio

A new build artist's studio near Hampstead Heath.

Our client requested a generous, daylight filled painting studio within their garden whilst also retaining a mature silver birch tree. We nestled the studio into a corner of their garden, retaining as much existing planting as possible and carefully wrapping the building around the silver birch tree that also acts as an important summer sunshade for the studio and creates dappled light within the building throughout the day.

Clad in untreated Western Red Cedar vertical timber cladding, which will grey over time, the studio is intended to gradually blend into the surroundings. The top of edge of the timber cladding at studio roof level was designed as a feathered edge to avoid a hard line allowing the building, once greyed, to fade into the planting and sky. Internally, we proposed birch faced plywood lined walls and a concrete floor to offer natural warmth with the robustness needed for an artist's studio.

The windows split the views out of and into the studio allowing vistas across the garden and back to the house whilst the glazed door to the rear allows the summer setting sun to penetrate though the studio causing the inside to glow as sunset approaches.