Introduction
The upside-down house principle Mather exploited at his first house was transferred to his next and current home. A larger, mid-Victorian terrace with a garden at basement level gave him the opportunity to refine these ideas of leaving good original sized rooms at lower levels largely untouched whilst turning the upper, often pokey rooms into more utilised living spaces.
Seven badly proportioned rooms are given over to one large room and a mezzanine complete with a full width glazed section looking over the roof garden. The kitchen and dining area sit alongside the double height living room. A minimal, plaster shell sculptural staircase rises from the living area to the mezzanine bedroom and terrace.
The house was designed to have a working ground floor studio and a sitting room and study on the floor above topped with living and entertainment spaces on the upper floors.
The roof garden is enclosed by high screens of translucent glass to prevent views down to the ground level garden. Tubular steel built-in seating is cantilevered out over the back of the house.
Times Magazine
Sunnyside Up
Adam and James Caplin - 8 Sept 00
The Times Weekend
Lofty ideas from a master
Jane Owen - 29 Aug 98
The Garden
Thinking small
Gill Billington - Mar 98
Ham and High Property Express
Zen and the art of home maintenance
8 Aug 97
Homes & Garden
Room at the top
Tessa Williams - June 97
Observer Life Magazine
A room with the lid off
Montagu Don - 29 Sept 96
Independent
Gardens in the sky
Jonathan Glancey - 18 Jun 96
Perspectives
Sky-high sights
Mary Keen - April/May 96
Mail on Sunday
Everything on the rooftop is heavenly
Roddy Llewellyn - 20 Aug 95
Weekend Telegraph
Plenty of room at the top
Stephen Lacy - 10 June 95
Observer Life Magazine
Blanc Out
24 Oct 93
The Independent on Sunday
Burning desire
Caroline McGhie - 10 Oct 93
Mail on Sunday
Rooftop View
4 Dec 92
The Times Saturday
Architects of kitchen chaos
Leslie Forbes - 21 Sept 91
The Times Saturday Review
Turning living upside down
Nicole Swengali - 19 Jan 91
Metropolitan
Planners in perspective
Isabel Miles - Sept 84
The Complete Home Book
1983
House & Garden
An architects spectacular
July 83
Woman's Journal
Going through the roof
Psyche Pirie - July 82
Belle
London: The best of British
Betsy Walter - March/April 82
Sunday Times Magazine
100 Ideas
22 Nov 81
Abitare
In Primrose Gardens
July/Aug 81