Radhus
Radhus
Radhus is a comprehensive transformation of a former HMO in the heart of Clapham, reimagined as a vibrant contemporary family home. The project responds to the constraints of a tight city site while introducing bold spatial interventions that maximise light, volume, and everyday functionality.
A standout feature is the double-height space connecting the sunken lower ground floor to the upper ground floor ceiling. This dramatic void floods both levels with natural light and creates a sense of openness absent in the original HMO layout. A five-metre-tall Crittall window divides the kitchen island, offering framed views of the city garden from the mezzanine above and anchoring the home’s spatial experience. The industrial aesthetic of the lower ground floor is softened through a considered palette of textures and vibrant colour accents, producing a warm yet contemporary living environment.
The renovation reinstates and reinterprets the property’s original period features with a modern sensibility. The fireplace, wall panelling, and other heritage elements are carefully integrated, while bold interventions, including a burnt orange kitchen and staircase and a deep bottle green living room, inject energy and character. These choices create a dialogue between the historic and contemporary, enhancing the building’s personality while respecting its architectural lineage.
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Colour, Shape and Texture
Colour plays a central role in shaping the character of the home, used not as surface decoration but as a spatial and emotional device. Bold, saturated tones are deployed strategically to define zones, guide movement, and bring energy to the interior. The burnt orange kitchen and staircase act as a unifying thread through the heart of the house, while the deep bottle green living space creates a grounded, intimate counterpoint. These confident colour choices animate the architecture, reinforcing the dialogue between old and new and giving each space a distinct identity.
Form and materiality are equally considered. Strong geometric gestures, most notably the double height void and the sculpted staircase, introduce moments of drama and verticality, balanced by softer detailing and tactile finishes. Exposed brickwork, warm timbers, aged metals, and layered textures temper the industrial qualities of the lower ground floor, while smoother surfaces and finer detailing above create a calmer, more refined atmosphere. Together, colour, shape, and texture are carefully orchestrated to produce a home that feels rich, cohesive, and expressive, while remaining grounded in everyday comfort and use.
Before and After: A Dramatic Shift
The original interiors were typical of a former HMO, with little sense of identity or spatial generosity. The existing living rooms were neutral and functional, finished with white walls, basic lighting, and carpeted floors, offering minimal connection to the building’s period character. Similarly, the lower ground basement was long, narrow, and inward looking, finished with laminate flooring and stripped of any architectural presence. These spaces felt flat and soulless, defined more by expediency than by quality or comfort.
The transformation is deliberately dramatic. The living rooms are redefined through the introduction of full height Crittall screens, opening views through the plan and creating a stronger relationship between the hallway and the new middle reception room. Colour, texture, and restored period detailing bring depth and atmosphere, replacing uniformity with richness and personality. At lower ground level, the structure is stripped back to brick, with existing walls exposed and new brickwork carefully rebuilt to reinforce a robust, tactile character. Purposeful joinery and a bespoke kitchen designed by Stylus Architects anchor the space, while the opened staircase strengthens visual and physical connections between levels.
A burnt orange kitchen and staircase sit confidently against a backdrop of brick, muted grey joinery, and natural materials, including timber and clay, creating an urban, understated elegance. Distressed timber flooring adds warmth and tactility, complementing the earthy palette and industrial undertones. Where there was once little character, the home now feels layered, expressive, and alive, with spaces that celebrate materiality, craft, and a renewed sense of history.
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Cutting the Section
The longitudinal section illustrates the core design concept: connecting levels through the double-height void and mezzanine to create openness and visual flow. It shows how the open staircase and full-height glazing link spaces, and how relationships between volumes, light, and circulation were carefully tested during the design phase.
Dialogue with the Garden
The design carefully negotiates a small garden while strengthening the connection between interior and exterior. A new side extension, lightweight in metal and glass, complements the existing structure without overwhelming it. The long, double-height Crittall window was inserted into the original façade, with the lintel of the old sash window retained to mark the top of the new frame. The surrounding brickwork was preserved, scars and all, celebrating the building’s visual history rather than erasing it.
By splitting the garden into two levels, more natural light penetrates the interior, and a stronger visual and physical connection is established between inside and outside. This subtle intervention expands the perception of space, allowing the home to feel larger and more integrated with its surroundings despite the compact site.
A Vertical Moment
The double-height space serves as the home’s central feature, connecting the lower ground and upper levels while framing views to the exterior. The tall Crittall window punctuates the façade, drawing light deep into the plan and creating a dramatic backdrop for the kitchen below. From the mezzanine, the space feels open and airy, while views from beneath emphasize the scale, materiality, and layered character of the interior. This vertical moment brings together circulation, light, and social activity in a single, dynamic volume.
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A Sculpted Journey
The staircase is a carefully considered feature, linking all levels of the home while reflecting the character of the upper spaces. From the ground floor, the design takes on a subtly more traditional approach, with thin metal spindles in the hallway creating a wave effect that is both practical and dramatic. This gesture maximises the perception of space in the tight hall and works with the adjacent full-height Crittall screen to open the hall visually. On the lower ground, the staircase cleverly conceals a toilet, combining functionality with a clean and seamless design. Fully designed by Stylus Architects, the stairs balance material precision, elegance, and spatial ingenuity, shaping circulation while enhancing the home’s layered character.
A Home Transformed
From tight, compartmentalised rooms to open, light filled spaces, Radhus bursts with character, drama and carefully crafted details. Every intervention, from the double height void to the bespoke joinery, brings movement, texture and personality, creating a home that is as dynamic as it is functional.
