Taking the Tube by Curro Checa Romero

Underwood Road, E1.

Underwood Road, E1.

The underfloor heating is laid out on a concrete floor in sinuous parallels ready for layers of screed and then resin to complete this particular finish. The stairs, supported with reinforced steel rods, currently float on stilts with the bottom decorative step added once the floor is laid. 

Easy Breezy by Curro Checa Romero

Selwyn Road, E3

Selwyn Road, E3

Peeling back the years on any London property exposes some interesting style choices from previous occupants. Here a patchwork of Victorian brickwork masked with flamingo pink plasterwork is revealed.  Referencing past incarnations is often desirable, however sometimes bricking it up is just as important. 

Paper Town by Curro Checa Romero

This collection of miniature cardboard houses look more like an exercise in town planning than individually scaled models. Constructing a model can enthuse a project, leaping it off the two dimensional page and offering an understanding of how a building might establish itself in its surroundings.  

Balancing Act by Curro Checa Romero

Palladianism spread throughout the western world during the 18th century inspiring a generation of architects to include the ancient Greco-Roman temple front as a portico, or roofed porch supported by columns. It was the first architectural movement to arrange the home according to an organised system placing Palladio’s ideas at the heart of many modern homes today.

Good Heavens! by Curro Checa Romero

External staircase to allow upper flat access to this shared garden in Balham.  The inclusion of the upper glass panel opens up the space whilst anti corrosion, slip resistant paint safeguards the steps against the English elements.

 

Best laid plans by Curro Checa Romero

Underwood Road, E1.

Underwood Road, E1.

‘Architecture exposes itself to the lives of the people who inhabit the space. If the reimagining is sensitive enough, it can assume a quality that bears witness to past life.’ Peter Zumthor.  

Match of the Day by Curro Checa Romero

Gloucester Terrace, W2

Gloucester Terrace, W2

A choice between the hypnotic qualities of the fire or television, allows this room to transform from a rowdy den for MOTD viewing to a quiet Sunday snug spent in front of a crackling fire. The off centre placement might be an OCD nightmare, however detailed attention goes into the placement of each element, right down to the speakers, creating cohesion and balance within the space. 

Harry's New Home by Curro Checa Romero

Selwyn Road, E3

Selwyn Road, E3

Height is key in a basement conversion, making the subterranean world lose its subterranean feeling. A larger opening allows natural light to tumble down this staircase, repurposing it as a light well whilst eradicating the need to install a skylight.