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    Archmongers celebrates “raw beauty of brutalist concrete” in Trellick Tower apartment refresh

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    Newly exposed concrete walls are paired with a matching terrazzo in this sensitive home renovation by London studio Archmongers in North Kensington’s Trellick Tower.

    Led by architects Margaret Bursa and Johan Hybschmann, Archmongers reworked a duplex apartment on the 23rd and 24th floors of the listed 31-storey tower block.
    Archmongers has renovated a Trellick Tower apartmentThe design stays true to the original layout and materials palette but some small adjustments help to emphasise the building’s brutalist character.
    Bursa and Hybschmann chose to expose the coarse concrete aggregate walls, while new fixtures and surfaces are made from industrial-style materials in complementary tones.
    Materials were chosen complement the newly exposed concreteThe effect is most striking in the kitchen, where the speckled brown and cream terrazzo sits alongside brushed stainless steel counters, white cabinets and matt-black linoleum flooring.

    Archmongers designed the home for a client who divides their time between London, Italy and Switzerland.
    “Our client was looking for a refurbishment which was true to the simplicity and modesty of the original fit-out,” Bursa told Dezeen.
    Matt-black linoleum provides flooringThe aim, she said, was to embrace “the raw beauty of brutalist concrete” and emphasise “the use of honest materials in every intricate detail”.
    “The contemporary update is drawn from the original architecture,” she said.

    Trellick Tower apartment revamped to resemble “cool concrete loft”

    “We exposed the in-situ cast concrete walls in the living spaces and on the stairs, adding material richness to the interiors and linking to the course aggregate concrete of the exterior facade.”
    Completed in 1972, Trellick Tower was designed by Hungarian-British architect Ernö Goldfinger and famously features a separate staircase tower connected to the apartment floors by enclosed bridges.
    A secondary doorway was replaced with an internal window to create extra storageArchmongers made few changes to the apartment layout, which they described as “very efficiently designed”.
    The largest intervention closed up a secondary doorway that previously led through to the kitchen, instead creating an internal window above additional storage and counter space.
    The same material palette features in the living roomAn adjustment was also made on the upper level, where some of the space from the cloakroom was reallocated to make room for an extra shower.
    In bathrooms on both floors, tap and shower fittings sourced from Italian manufacturer Fantini Balocchi provide flashes of bright red and yellow that reference the coloured tiles found throughout Trellick Tower.
    Bathrooms feature white tiles with putty-coloured grout and brown terrazzo”The communal hallways of Trellick Tower each have a different tiled colour theme, which inspired our use of colour,” Bursa explained.
    Warm tones emanate from other surfaces in these rooms, including a terrazzo with the tone of walnut wood and white tiles outlined by putty-coloured grout.
    Tap and shower fittings provide flashes of bright red and yellowThe Trellick apartment is the latest in a series of mid-century renovations that Archmongers has completed and not the first to feature in a famous estate.
    Past projects include reworks of a duplex in the 1950s-built Golden Lane Estate and an apartment in the Barbican, as well as a revamp of a 1960s terrace.
    A new hand-carved walnut handrail was added to the staircaseHere, the building’s Grade II* listing meant that Archmongers was required to retain the original metal lightswitches, even though they couldn’t be certified after the electrics were rewired.
    “There are now two sets of light switches; one new and one original but no longer working,” Bursa said.
    Other sensitive additions include a new hand-carved walnut handrail for the staircase, which runs parallel to the modernist-style metal and timber balustrade.
    The duplex is located on the 23rd and 24th floors of Trellick Tower”Preserving the architectural integrity of the building was paramount,” Bursa added.
    “The Trellick Tower project serves as both an homage to the building’s historical significance and a timeless update that elevates its legacy to new heights.”
    The photography is by French + Tye.

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      Archmongers uses eco-friendly materials in colourful Bakken & Bæck office

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      Materials like cardboard and recycled rubber are paired with softly contrasting colours in the London office of Bakken & Bæck, designed by local architects Archmongers.

      The ambition was to create a distinct identity for the Norwegian tech design agency’s London team, but to achieve this in the most eco-friendly way possible.
      A red conference table contrasts with mint-green wallsArchmongers founders Margaret Bursa and Johan Hybschmann felt the best way to make a bold statement was to develop a playful palette of colours, similar to Bakken & Bæck’s offices in Oslo, Amsterdam and Bonn.
      They selected muted shades of red, yellow and green, creating subtle but memorable colour contrasts.
      Cardboard tubes create a scallop wallpaper effect”The space is flooded with daylight, which helped us choose strong colours to work against the neutral background,” Bursa told Dezeen. “We worked with various combinations until we arrived at the right one.”

      To minimise the carbon footprint of the design, the architects chose some natural and recycled materials.
      Fast-growing Douglas fir provides the frames of glazed partition walls, while recycled rubber was chosen for the flooring. Cardboard tubes were also used, to create an unusual scalloped wallpaper effect.
      Recycled rubber provides an acoustic flooring”We found some cardboard tubes that are used for concrete formwork, but we used them to give parts of the space definition and warmth,” said Bursa.
      The studio occupies two floors of De Beauvoir Block, a workspace community in east London.
      The lower level offers conference and lounge spaces, while the upper level contains an office and three smaller meeting rooms.
      Ceiling beams and surfaces are painted the same colour as the wallsCurtains and colour-blocking help to create definitions between different zones.
      On the lower level, the red conference table stands out against the mint-green walls, while the two lounge spaces are characterised by deep purple tones.

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      Upstairs, the same shade of red draws attention to the meeting rooms. The effect was achieved using natural wood stains.
      In the office, ceiling beams and surfaces are all painted the same shade as the walls, while a small kitchen features dark fronts and a monochrome terrazzo surface.
      Glazed screen made from red-painted Douglas fir define meeting rooms”We focused our efforts sourcing a materials palette that is sustainable and hardwearing, but also enduringly beautiful,” said Hybschmann.
      The Archmongers duo often use colour to add an extra layer of interest to their projects, with examples including a renovation in the modernist Golden Lane Estate and a tile-clad house extension.
      Here, acoustics were also an important consideration. The rubber floor and textile wall panels help to dampen sound.
      Textile panels improve acoustics in meeting roomsOther details include angled ceiling mirrors, which provide visual connections between spaces, and furniture by designers including Alvar Aalto, Verner Panton, Barber Osgerby, and the Bouroullec brothers.
      “Our design evokes a homely environment rather than a conventional workspace,” added Hybschmann.
      “We were mindful of the need to coax people back from their home offices, through providing attractive, comfortable spaces that encourage collaboration.”
      The office houses the London studio of tech design agency Bakken & BæckBakken & Bæck describes the space as “our shared home-away-from-home”.
      “It plays a huge role in how we socialise,” said the team. “We gather daily for lunch around the bespoke table on the ground floor, use the snug as a place to connect with other BB offices over a game of Mario Kart, and on the first floor we are lucky to have a plant-filled space with a lot of natural light where we get the work done.”
      Photography is by French + Tye.

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      Archmongers uses primary colours to revive a home in the modernist Golden Lane Estate

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      London studio Archmongers has renovated a duplex flat in one of the city’s most influential housing estates, using shades of red, yellow and blue to complement the modernist materials palette.The three-bedroom home is located within Hatfield House on the Golden Lane Estate, a complex designed and built in the 1950s by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, the same architects responsible for the Barbican.

      The renovation celebrates the original design of the Golden Lane flat
      Archmongers’ refurbishment is designed to celebrate the flat’s key features – the bright and open living spaces, the efficient organisation of spaces, and material details like the terrazzo stairs and tiled surfaces.
      Referencing historic photos of original Golden Lane flats, architects Margaret Bursa and Johan Hybschmann sought to reinstate details that had been removed or covered over in an earlier remodelling, which they described as “mundanely neutral”.

      Wooden frames create subtle separation between kitchen and living spaces

      The architects added chunky wooden frames to recreate separation between the kitchen and lounge space, without losing the visual connection.
      Bespoke steel storage cabinets were installed, while original hardwood window frames and parquet flooring were uncovered.

      Details are picked out in primary colours
      “The biggest change was, in many ways, bringing it back to what it once was,” Hybschmann told Dezeen. “Not because we had to, but because it made a lot of sense.”
      “The original palette of materials felt very modern and we wanted any new element or surface to be as relevant for many years to come.”

      These bright colours also feature in the bedrooms
      Bursa and Hybschmann chose to apply primary colours to various details in the renovated flat, referencing some of the historic exterior details on the Golden Lane Estate.
      Shades of red and yellow highlight the front door and entrance area. The same hues feature in the first floor bedrooms and bathroom, along with blue tones – the idea was to give every room its own colour, in a high-gloss finish.

      Each bedroom has its own colour
      “We’ve tried as best as possible to colour match the red, yellow, blue and dark blue exterior panels of each of the blocks making up the estate,” explained Hybschmann.
      “They work very well together and it’s a nice reference to bring into the interiors of the building.”

      The colours reference details on the building’s exterior
      Other material details also help to tie spaces together. The granite surfaces in the kitchen echo the terrazzo of the staircase, while the new black quarry tiles in the kitchen match up with those in the external hallways.

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      The bathroom was given an upgrade too, to make it more suitable for modern living. It now includes a Japanese-style bath and a walk-in shower, with a new internal window that allows more daylight in.
      The home is brought to life by the addition of the clients’ midcentury furniture and large book collection.

      The bathroom was updated with a Japanese-style bath and walk-in shower
      Archmongers has previously worked on other modernist refurbishments, in the Barbican and The Ryde in Hertfordshire, along with various council houses in London. The architects’ ongoing aim is to show the inherent potential in these midcentury buildings.
      “Being able to work on another of London’s iconic modernist estates was a privilege,” added Bursa.
      “Our experience helped us to deliver spaces sympathetic to the original vision while also creating a home that will intrigue, invite exploration, and provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy, and deepen their engagement with modernist architecture.”
      Photography is by French + Tye.

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