A musician and his designer wife wanted to convert an existing mechanics garage into a 3,500-square-foot single-family residence in Belsize Park, in northwest London. The architects transformed the steel-framed structure into a four-level house by placing the living area – the primary entertainment space – in the basement level, which gets light through a sunken courtyard. The kitchen and dining room are on the ground floor. Bedrooms and bathrooms are tucked away on the second and third stories.

As one passes through the entry gates, black tile walls create a strong ambiance and are also featured throughout the interior. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls look out to the courtyard and a pivoting black-framed glass door creates a dramatic entry. The seamless concrete floors, finished in a polyurethane resin, flow horizontally through each interior level, contrasting with the black tiles.