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
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
Joy Gregory subverts beauty standards with her new exhibition at Whitechapel GalleryUnrealistic beauty standards hide ugly realities in 'Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey '
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
-
Meet Forefront, a cultural platform redefining the relationship between art and architectureForefront co-founder Dicle Guntas, managing director of developer HGG, tells us about the exciting new initiative and its debut exhibition, a show of lumino-kinetic sculptures in London
-
Corten curves and contemporary flair transform this terraced house in LondonCagni Williams Associates’ sensitive refurbishment of a south London Edwardian house features a striking and sustainable Corten steel extension
-
You may know it as ‘Dirty House’ – now, The Rogue Room brings 21st-century wellness to ShoreditchThe Rogue Room – set in the building formerly known as Dirty House by Sir David Adjaye, now reinvented by Studioshaw – bridges wellness and culture in London's Shoreditch
-
The architectural innovation hidden in plain sight at Frieze London 2025The 2025 Frieze entrance pavilions launch this week alongside the art fair, showcasing a brand-new, modular building system set to shake up the architecture of large-scale events
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
‘Belonging’ – the LFA 2026 theme is revealed, exploring how places can become personalThe idea of belonging and what it means in today’s world will be central at the London Festival of Architecture’s explorations, as the event’s 2026 theme has been announced today
-
Join us on a first look inside Regent’s View, the revamped canalside gasholder project in LondonRegent's View, the RSHP-designed development for St William, situated on a former gasholder site on a canal in east London, has just completed its first phase
