In 1906 a local builder built a house for himself on the corner of a block next to the train tracks. Around the corner on a quieter street, he set up his workshop in his backyard with an office above. Over the years the building saw many commercial uses, survived a bombing during WWII that flattened the buildings next to it, and eventually gained a third storey and became a home. But it never fully left its commecial and industrial past behind.

When we began working on the house in late 2025, there were only the smallest tracest of its history to be seen. The steel structure could be read on the exterior, but inside almost everything was covered up in layers of plasterboard. We decided to dive in head first: not only would we do all of the design, we would also do all of the contracting, bringing in subcontractors where their expertise was needed. We wanted to have the flexibility to adapt the designs to what we learned about the building and its history.

Over the course of many months, we began peeling back layer after layer of material which had been added in order to cover up new electrical or plumbing installations, or quickly adapt spaces for new uses. What we found underneath was the original workshop from 1906 which had been carefully built with high quality materials. By bringing these materials back to their former glory and carefully adapting the space, we have been able to create a modern home that feels purpose-built rather than awkwardly cobbled together, while also respecting and exposing the building’s history, creating a unique atmosphere in which to live and host friends and family.