FORCE OF NATURE

An unexpected flood into what was already a dark basement flat prompted a new vision, full of light, natural materials and foliage

- Fleur Britten

the flat was not in a nice state when I first saw it,’ says architect Charles Wu, founder of the award-winning design practice Polysmiths. ‘The floorboards had curled and it smelled of damp – it was a real mess.’ Just a few weeks after its owner, a German journalist, moved in, a flash flood forced him to move out again. However, this misfortune turned out to be a blessing because the work needed on the dated, gloomy flat had to be actioned sooner than originally planned. ‘The client bought it thinking he could live there for a bit,’ explains Charles. When the flood struck, the owner took the opportunity to do a full renovation – and, of course, some essential flood-proofing.