Skip to playerSkip to main content
Head to https://www.odoo.com/r/fQZK to start creating professional invoices and easily customise them to your liking.

Tucked inside a historic 1912 building in London’s King’s Cross, this 40sqm/430sqft flat has been transformed by interior designer Sara Leonor into a warm, colourful, and storage-savvy home for a young professional couple. Drawing on Victorian-era details—like green glazed tiles, copper finishes, and bold colours—the apartment balances character with functionality through smart joinery and clever furniture. The green kitchen features concealed appliances and a warm copper benchtop; the red living room hides a home office and easily transforms into a dining nook or guest room, thanks to a sofa bed and a height-adjustable coffee table. The calm bedroom makes use of high wardrobes and under-bed storage, while the reconfigured bathroom fits in a full bathtub, Moroccan tiles, and mirrored cabinets to visually expand the space.

00:00-01:03 Introduction
01:03-01:36 Location
01:36-03:10 Floor Plan
03:10-03:31 Entrance
03:31-05:10 Kitchen
05:10-07:52 Living Room
07:52-09:15 Bedroom
09:15-10:18 Bathroom
10:18-11:04 Conclusion

Read the full article about this flat here: https://www.nevertoosmall.com/post/colourful-transformation-in-london

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Ep 226
Project Name: King’s Cross Flat
Architect: https://saraleonorstudio.com/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Director: Nam Tram
Cinematographer: Mariusz Gajdzik
Editor: Sebastian Tibbs
Music: Artlist.io
See You Tomorrow Sunshine by Yestalgia
August Rains by Yestalgia
A Trip by Sig Howler

Share your projects with us- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/submissions
Subscribe to our newsletter- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/subscribe
Check out our store- https://www.nts-store.com
Website- https://www.nevertoosmall.com
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/nvtsmall
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/nvtsmall
Transcript
00:02the idea for this flat was to create different areas where the client could
00:06feel cozy making the spaces look larger and full of storage when we initially
00:12started working on the project the color was not the main idea it's not a space
00:19where we can put many elements so it was actually with a color where we found
00:23this cosiness so it's not that they came and they say I want a colorful house but
00:29trying to making the space look like what they're trying to achieve the color was
00:34the solution we wanted to use Victorian period materials and details such as the
00:42metro green tiles and copper finish of the kitchen counter by mixing colors with
00:48the historical features of the flat we can create a modern flat while still
00:54maintaining its historical past
01:04this flat is located in King's Cross in central London King's Cross was originally
01:10an industrial hub and has since evolved into one of London's most dynamic neighborhoods
01:16the building was constructed in 1912 by the Central London Building Company and has
01:22become quite an iconic building in the area the flat is 40 square meters the owners are young
01:32professionals that work nearby when I first saw the flat it was old and dark and lacked storage
01:42it it's a one bedroom a separate kitchen and bathroom and a living room in terms of the layout we
01:50only change the floor plan in the bathroom moving the toilet and the sink to the rear wall to allow
01:55for more space and to have the full-size bathtub the rest of the renovation was more about optimizing storage
02:03and functions in each of the rooms the colors start at the front door which we repainted in red
02:14the owners had renovated the corridor before we worked on the project
02:22it's a small corridor surrounded by the dado rail on the walls that separates the painting section from the wallpaper
02:31the owners love to cook and entertain so the kitchen was really important and the first step in a
02:40we worked with them to choose the rich green metro tiles from Solu ceramics for the splash back and different
02:47shades of green paint for the cabinetry and walls using the same color broadens the visual perception of
02:54the room making it appear a bit larger than it is we heat all the appliances behind cabinet doors and
03:03added
03:03more storage by including wall cabinets and a tall full height cabinet at the end of the kitchen
03:12for the countertop we chose copper for its warm stones the copper patinas over time will use which
03:19is something the client loves the kitchen has fluted windows facing the external courtyard it lets in a lot
03:28of light during the day but maintains privacy without requiring curtains or blinds there are two large
03:35structural columns that split the kitchen into two parts we left the space behind one of the beams to be
03:42used to put items behind the front with the stove and fridge and the back with a sink washing machine
03:48and
03:50boiler under the upper storage cabinets we added led lights to illuminate the counter and act as accent
03:58lighting in the evenings for the floors we decided on black and white floor tiles by mattonelle margarita
04:05they introduced a playful fabric-like pattern
04:11the living room was designed to serve as a comfortable sitting room an office and a guest bedroom
04:19we wanted to keep a chest of drawers which were cherry in color so we chose red in the living
04:25room to match
04:26these drawers we added fiberboard shelves just below the ceiling and painting them in the same red as
04:33the ceiling and trim they give a perception of height and seem to dissolve when viewed from certain angles
04:40the custom sofa is red to match the walls it's a generous size sofa that doubles as a guest bed
04:49while the white provides a neutral setting for the art that they've collected during the travels
04:55we decided to keep the original fireplace in the corner of the living room and painted it in red to
05:01blend in with the rest of the apartment
05:05the main light in the room is one from la red dude it has these rattan pieces that create a
05:12mobile and
05:12looks like an art piece the idea of having wall lights is to have secondary lighting that is more
05:20cozy than the ceiling light they are plugged into a socket no need for an electrician
05:28the owners were using the camping table as their coffee table when it came time to choose a new table
05:34they wanted something that could still retain the flexibility the new table can be opened and made
05:43bigger turning into a dining table that can seat up to six people the height adjustment is great for
05:50having dinners in front of the tv we all do it so it must well be comfortable
05:57an l-shaped bench creates seating for visitors while providing storage for the record collections below
06:05it also conceals the room's radiator
06:10when using the extendable coffee table the bench area transforms into a dining knock in the evenings
06:19we custom built shelving on the corner of the living room for drinks and glasses there is a drink card
06:26that can easily be moved around the room next to the door of the living room we added a desk
06:34fixing the desk to the wall means it didn't take up valuable floor space so items can be stored
06:40underneath and comfortable desk chair can be used the top of the desk was also
06:46tapered inward to allow for easier movement around the space
06:52the bedroom was the last place we worked on our aim was to create as much storage as we could
07:02everything had to be functional and help with the storage problem we had it originally had some wall
07:09shelves and wardrobe by the door which we extended all the way up to the ceiling
07:14and added another wardrobe on the adjacent wall we added paneling with wallpaper from romo to the
07:22wardrobes walls and ceiling to give the impression of having windows with the nature behind them
07:32the new queen-size bed from picolin also has a storage space underneath for seasonal items
07:40just like in the living room we added a high shelf around the room for extra storage
07:46the custom bedside tables are attached to the walls they are curved and angled around the corners of the
07:53room to maximize the available space we used the same method to create a new dressing table by the entrance
08:01it was something we added later on in the design process but turned out to be handy space to get
08:08ready in the mornings or as a temporary desk when both are working from home
08:15in the bathroom the focus was on maximizing light and storage we changed the layout to make more space
08:23around the toilet and sick this gave us room to add a larger storage unit on the three walls which
08:29provides
08:30a lot of storage while reflecting the space to make the room feel bigger there was an old fireplace in
08:36the
08:36bathroom which now serves as extra storage a bathtub was one of the non-negotiables the owners had in the
08:44brief
08:45we found a narrow model that doesn't block the entrance
08:49the yellow tiles are handmade in morocco and the glossy texture serves as a reflection
08:56gray concrete tiles were chosen for the rest of the walls the owners install a translucent yellow curtain
09:04being able to see through the curtain helps to keep the space feeling open above the sink we added a
09:11wire
09:12shelf for extra linen when i work on a project i believe every part of the house and every object
09:22that is there it has to meet a function we usually design a large part of the pieces in our
09:29interior design
09:30project to measure my approach begins with planning the layout before focusing on the style or decoration
09:38this ensures the rooms flows well makes the most storage and creates distinct zones for different experiences
Comments

Recommended