Clark became aware of the public restroom in 2005. Young and recently graduated from Glasgow School of Art, the architect had just moved to London when she decided to take up the project. “For me that’s about saving sites with an interesting history, but which have been abandoned and forgotten.” she told.
First a bit on the site history, the restrooms were built in the lates 20’s and served their main purpose until the 80’s. Clark decided to transform the site into a one bedroom apartment since the property was not available for commercial use. After countless meetings with Lambeth Council’s regeneration department, the architect finally bought the place in 2011.
The property then evolved from old restrooms to a bright and comfortable home. The end result of all the years of hard work put in by Clark is a cozy and light-filled one-bedroom apartment she now calls home. The kitchen tiles and a mirror in the living room were restored from the original structure as a reminder of the building’s origins. The luxurious bathroom counts with a gold-leaf wall which she added herself to add a touch of glamour to it. The apartment even count with a cute subterranean garden that gives it a fresh and homely feel.
Clark even left a small public health poster warning of the perils of VD in the kitchen to lighten up the mood. The entire project for this luxurious little apartment cost Clark a total of £65,000 and a whole lot of creativity and energy.
Laura Clark is the founder of Lamp Architects, a firm specialized in residential architecture. The bathroom transformation can also be seen through Clark’s blog.
