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UNDERWOOD STREET

LONDON, N1
OFFERS OVER 595,000
SHARE OF FREEHOLD
Viewing by appointment with The Modern House
Tel +44 (0)1420 520805
info@themodernhouse.co.uk
www.themodernhouse.co.uk

A rare opportunity to purchase a well-located apartment


with complete interior scheme by the highly-regarded
architect Simon Conder.
Completed in 1999, and widely admired in numerous
architectural journals since, this is the first time this
outstanding apartment has come to the market.

A large, generously-glazed open-plan area forms the core


of the apartment. There is also further space for two
double bedrooms (one at either end of the apartment).
A stunning and beautifully-crafted raised timber unit runs
along one side of the central space, housing both kitchen
and bathroom facilities. The apartment features a wealth
of high-quality fittings and extensive storage space.
Conder, recently shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA
Manser Medal, is well known for his masterly manipulation
of space and meticulous attention to detail. This
apartment, located in an award-winning warehouse
conversion near Old Street, further confirms this
reputation and must be viewed to be fully appreciated.

Far left from top: Living Room;


View along the timber unit
Left: Kitchen
Above: Shower Room and WC Room

ACCOMMODATION
The apartment is entered at ground
level via a communal entrance with
second floor.
Entrance Hall
With entry phone

and recessed low voltage halogen


spotlights. The kitchen area also
offers generous storage.
Bedroom 1
4.3m x 3m / 14 x 10
A mobile shelving unit separates
the space from the Living Room.
Front aspect French doors lead to an
ornamental balcony. Storage space is
provided by the mobile shelving unit.

Living Room
11.6m x 4.3m / 38 x 14
An open space of substantial size with
large casement windows to one side. Bedroom 2
Timber floor and exposed brick walls. 5.3m x 3.7m / 176 x 12
Space for both a dining area and a
A self-contained room with front and
lounge area. Two steps lead up to the
kitchen unit. A mobile shelving unit
separates the space from Bedroom 1.
Kitchen
4.5m x 2.3m / 149 x 76
The elevated kitchen area is
constructed from wood. An aperture
in the wooden unit offers allows
interaction between the kitchen area
and the living room area. Features
include double stainless steel sink,
integrated six ring gas hob with
extractor hood and oven, Amana
fridge/freezer, integrated wine rack

side aspect casement windows and


large fitted storage cupboards with
shelving.
Constructed from wood and
incorporating two wardrobes and
a laundry cupboard with washing
machine and tumble dryer, the flexible
Bathroom Area can be closed off from
the kitchen area and Bedroom 1 by
two doors. The bathroom area can be
used either as three distinct pods
(listed below) or as one bathroom,
depending on how the internal doors
are arranged. The area incorporates

the following the facilities:


Bath Room
2m x 1.1m / 66 x 36
Panelled bath with chrome mixer tap
and shower adaptor, recessed low
voltage halogen spotlights. A slender
glass window offers a view into
Bedroom 1.
Shower Room
1.1m x 1.1m / 36 x 36
WC Room
1.1m x 1.1m / 36 x 36
Wash basin, WC with concealed
cistern and two cupboards.
The property comes with a secure,
shutter-accessed parking space in
the buildings underground car park.
Please note that all areas,
measurements and distances given in
these sales particulars are approximate
and rounded. The text, photographs and
floor plans are for general guidance
only. The Modern House has not tested
any services, appliances or specific
fittings prospective purchasers
are advised to inspect the property
themselves. All fixtures, fittings
and furniture not specifically
itemised within these particulars
are deemed removable by the vendor.

living room space, while a far larger timber unit, which


was designed to appear as it floating, was built to house
both kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Writing about the latter unit in The Architects Journal
(11/10/01), the architectural writer Sutherland Lyall
describes it as a building-within-a-building. How do
you create something which looks so simple that it must
involve considerable sophistication? Lyall asks, In
Conders case, it comes about by thinking meticulously
about everything, and once the design basis is
established, following it through rigorously. Lyalls article,
entitled Boxing Clever in Islington, further commends
Conders scrupulous attention to detail, and reserves
special praise for David Jones, the builder of much of the
apartments interior who, according to Lyall, did such a
good job in helping to create a calm and uncluttered
interior
In the book Simon Conder: Sensitivity and Invention
(LArca Edizioni, 2003), the Underwood Street apartment
is covered in considerable depth. Here the author
describes the apartment as flooded with light, adding
that Conders manipulation of light, always inventive and
delicately contrived, works to lend poetic dimension. It
is worth adding that the lighting system implemented
by Conder avoids the use of single, overhead bulbs and
instead allows the lighting of the apartment to be either
low and atmospheric or more concentrated and direct.

Bought by the present owners as an empty shell on the

An article about the apartment in The Architectural Review


(July 2001) pays particular attention to the way the design
of the interior enables ease of communication between
each of the distinct areas. The main kitchen and bathroom
unit is raised, giving an elevated view over the living
room, making conversation between chef and guests
possible, while a horizontal window over the bath works

second floor of a 19th century industrial building, the


interior for this corner apartment was designed by Simon
Conder Associates in 1999.

in the same way, allowing the bather to communicate with


anyone in the bedroom and look through to the streets
beyond.

At this time the building had just been re-developed for


residential use by Buschow Henley Architects (a project
for which they were given a RIBA Award).

Simon Conder first set up his practice in 1984 after having


studied at the Architectural Association and Royal College
of Art in London. His firm, Simon Conder Associates, have
won numerous architectural awards. Conders design for a
beach house in Dungeness, Kent (2004) often referred to
as the Rubber House because of Conders use of rubber
cladding prompted judges to shortlist the architect for
the prestigious RIBA Manser Medal and for the Mies van
der Rohe European Architecture Award.
More information about Conder and his work can be found
at www.simonconder.co.uk.

From top: View from bathroom to bedroom 1;


Bedroom 1 with view into bathroom

HISTORY

The professional couple who commissioned Conder


specifically wanted a home that was easy to live in and
welcoming to visitors. Conders solution to transforming
the empty space was at once practical and poetic.
Retaining the open-plan nature of the space, Conder
designed three units to break up the space. Two small
storage units divided the two bedroom areas from the

FLOORPLAN
Storage Wall
Kitchen
4.5m x 2.3m / 149 x 76

Lobby

Bedroom 2
5.3m x 3.7m /
176 x 12

Bathroom
area

Living/Dining
11.6m x 4.3m /
38 x 14

Mobile Storage

AXONOMETRIC DRAWING

Contact The Modern House +44 (0)1420 520805


info@themodernhouse.co.uk www.themodernhouse.co.uk

Bedroom 1
4.3m x 3m /
14 x 10

Mobile Storage

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