A dated living room opened up: a built-in joinery wall removed, the floor levelled to lose an awkward step, and period details restored.
01
The brief
A living room in Dulwich that had stopped working. A dated, integrated joinery wall took up space and made the room feel heavy, and a step down into the room broke up the floor.
02
The challenge
Taking out built-in joinery is rarely just a case of unscrewing it. Once it's gone, the walls, floor and ceiling behind it all need making good. And removing a step means levelling the floor properly, so the new surface runs flat from the doorway to the far wall.
03
What we did
We removed the old joinery wall and levelled the floor, taking out the step down into the room. Then we put back the details a room like this deserves: new covings, new skirtings and a new ceiling rose, pictured here with a brass globe chandelier. We fitted new radiators and a new fireplace hearth, made some electrical updates, and redecorated to finish it all off.
04
The finish
A brighter, simpler room with one continuous floor and its character restored. A single-room project, run with the same care as a full renovation.