RONCARATI DESIGN
Roncarati + Zaffera | Architectural & Interior Design | info@roncaratidesign.com | 07770 868 184 | London, England | @roncaratidesign
Here, you can see some examples of previous projects – from tiny all the way up to medium-sized.
(Generally, that's as big as it gets!)
In almost all cases, these projects were both design and build.
You can either scroll down through all examples, or jump down by selecting a square below.
First is "Woodside Loft", about which much has already been written – both in print and online.
Woodside Loft is becoming a regular feature of London's increasingly popular Open House Festival. So, if you'd like to see it in person, that would be one way to do it.
For more information on this project (and about the Open House Festival), follow this link:
This is the living room in a two-storey side and rear extension.
Dropping the ceiling by about 15cm was the key to making this space work.
This was an awkward (long/tall) w/c that was arranged all wrong.
A large mirror (on the correct wall) and heavily dropped ceiling (along with a combination of natural materials) transformed this space entirely.
This was a teenager's room which, conventionally, would have needed to be twice its size in order to accommodate the list of items that he wanted in there: desk, (plenty of) storage, sofa, double-bed, coffee table...
Although the room didn't have a particularly tall ceiling, the solution here was to "build up"! The double bed is now home to a fully suspended design feature (inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic creation: "Falling Water" – also pictured). This comes complete with retractable ladder, full bed-length bedside "table" and plenty of additional storage, whilst allowing space underneath for a sofa and coffee table.
The teenager's love for trainers – and his desire for them to be admired – was also accommodated in exuberant fashion.
This is another teenage boy's room. This room is unusual, in that there's a skylight at the opposite end to the window. There was a desire to create some hidden spaces within the room, for additional privacy, but also a desire to take advantage of the skylight.
Initial ideas focused on a bed/storage combo, but these soon morphed into the desk/storage combo that's seen in the images below. (Some are photos of the final build; others are computer models that preceded the build. Being such an unusual design and also in a tight space, full use was made of these models to envisage and iterate the design, as it progressed.)
This started off as a large open-plan office space, with an unglamorous entrance and nothing at all of any design interest. The brief was to convert the space into eight smaller independent, yet desirable offices (albeit with shared facilities).
The design took into account the most efficient use of space, whilst still allowing access to shared spaces and for each office to benefit from at least one window. Intermittent use of slatted wood panels, generous use of mirrors, and a dropped ceiling all contributed to the creation of a far more desirable shared-use space.
This is a very large loft bedroom with very high ceilings. The pitched roof gives limited options for the creation of storage.
The design took full advantage of the high ceiling. A decision was made to create shadow-gaps around the entire structure and to fully suspend the structure from the wall. This resulted in several benefits. Firstly, the structure was much easier (and, therefore, cheaper) to build. Secondly, it gave the impression of a lighter-weight, less intrusive build. Thirdly, it allowed for all doors to be opened without the need for handles (or push-mechanisms). And finally, it allowed the opportunity to place lighting in the shadow-gaps, which would add a real wow-factor to the build.
This long and, in places, very narrow corridor is burdened by unsightly pillars/beams and an awkwardly placed radiator. It also forms part of a small flat, in desperate need of communal storage space for outdoor items, such as shoes, coats, dog paraphernalia, etc.
The solution was designed around all the awkward features and took advantage of what precious space was available. Space was created for dozens of shoes and miscellaneous outdoor items (behind the doors) and, as a bonus, shallow exposed shelves allow for presentation of miscellaneous display items.
This is a proposed loft-space design for a house that, over the years, has benefitted from a number of lateral extensions. The roof-space is on different levels, so represents something of a challenge. The reward (in building into the space) would be significant, as the house is blessed with spectacular views to the rear, which can be best enjoyed from high up.
(The computer models can easily be used to give an idea of the feeling within each space. These (pictured) models are very simplistic line-drawings, but more sophisticated photo-realistic models can also be created. These generally take a lot more time though.)
This fairly traditionally-styled kitchen includes a couple of unusual design solutions to challenges that were presented.
The owners wanted the central island to be moveable, when needed (but not moveable, when not). This wasn't easy an easy task, in particular given the weight involved. The solution involves four large cog-shaped dials, accessible from plinth-level. Turning these, raises the entire island onto a number of heavyweight casters, enough for the entire unit to be gently moved into an alternative position.
Another unusual solution was the use of sliding pocket-doors in the corner units. The benefit of these doors is that a large opening is created, much more so than a traditional hinged solution.
This loft has a lovely big space, but also some awkward nooks and a complete lack of useful storage. The owners were installing a new en-suite bathroom and wanted to address the storage issue at the same time.
Luckily, the bathroom hadn't yet been completely built when I got involved. The owners (and builders) agreed to move the wall between the main space and the bathroom back by about 70cm into the bathroom. (This didn't compromise the individual elements of the bathroom in any way at all.) This gave over a big chunk of space for full-height wardrobes. The trick to making this work, was to make the entrance into the bathroom part of the wardrobe structure. The bathroom now, effectively, has a secret entrance!
The awkward nook, became a mini walk-in wardrobe (helping to negotiate an inconvenient pillar) and additional storage for large items, where headroom was too low.
Here are some miscellaneous projects/designs/builds that I don't have that much to say about, or that I don't have many images of, so I'm lumping them together ...for now.
