We have completed an innovative loft extension as part of the renovation of a three storey-Victorian terraced house in Hackney, east London. The design reaches down into the storey below the loft to create a dramatic two-level master bedroom suite.

The brief from our private client also included renovating the rest of the house, creating more flexible interior spaces and introducing a neutral, unified scheme. The ground floor was transformed by inserting double-pocket sliding doors in the wall between the entrance hall and living area, boosting light and improving circulation through the space.

High-specification products lend the scheme a sense of quality, including new Dinesen flooring on the first and second floors, aluminium-framed bifold doors to the garden, cast-iron column radiators, bronze ironmongery and Flos lighting throughout. A rooflight over the shower and new Corian-topped washbasin stand complete work on the first-floor bathroom, while the second floor was significantly remodelled to achieve the expansive master suite.

The twist on the traditional loft conversion transforms storage space in the roof into a bedroom, but departs from convention by remodelling the storey below to create a dramatic, two-level master bedroom suite.

The storey below – the second – previously contained the master bedroom and a study. Responding to the client’s brief for a dramatic master suite, we remodelled the storey by removing the bedroom ceiling completely and lowering the ceiling in the study. To mitigate the effects of the lowered ceiling we exposed the ceiling joists, winning back height.

The structural alterations allowed the creation of an expansive bedroom featuring an anteroom with double-height ceiling, making a tranquil seating and dressing area. The anteroom is lined with bespoke recessed cupboards, wardrobe space and high-level storage.

The bed and en-suite bathroom sit on a mezzanine level, accessed by a bespoke alternate-tread stairway that saves space and multi-tasks as shelving. Greater space and height on the mezzanine level are achieved with the addition of a dormer window and the removal of some rafters.

The mezzanine level and en-suite bathroom are partitioned using frosted and clear glass panes set within black powder-coated steel Crittall frames – an industrial take on Japanese Shōji room dividers.

On the ground floor we maximised permeability between the ground floor and rear garden by fitting the kitchen and side-return dining extension with new, aluminium-framed bifold doors.

New Dinesen flooring, distressed bronze ironmongery and door furniture, cast-iron radiators and recessed, surface-mounted Flos lighting throughout the house lift the scheme and lend it a sense of refinement and quality.