alos is a practice for architecture and design led by Lydia Xynogala in New York.
engaging with material and cultural narratives the practice produces work at various scales and formats:
buildings, interiors, environments, objects and texts.
Ennismore Gardens House
A listed Victorian house in Knightsbridge faces a large communal enclosed garden. The renovation brings into focus the relationship with these gardens and lits the previously dark interiors, stripped from all their artificial finishes.
The Wardian case was an early type of sealed protective container for plants. It found great use in the 19th century in protecting foreign plants imported to Europe from overseas and was invented by Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward of London, in 1829.
To create a visual continuity with the gardens outside, a “phytothèque” or plant wall was conceived: a series of geometric volumes interlocked. They function as planters, display for art, shelves and seating, inspired by Wardian cases. A gradual transition from the garden (plants) to the domestic (objects) is achieved in this sequence.
Color in the living area is used to bring into focus historic details while the floor is stripped to reveal original wood planks. In the private areas, bedroom, dressing and bathroom, more subtle colors create a play of texture and depth.
Scope
Renovation, Interior Design, Custom Furniture
Completion
2016
Location
Knightsbridge, London, England
Photography
Nicholas Worley