{"id":3085,"date":"2024-12-26T09:54:44","date_gmt":"2024-12-26T01:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/12\/26\/a-garage-converted-into-a-compact-guest-cottage-courtesy-of-mark-lewis\/"},"modified":"2024-12-26T09:54:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T01:54:44","slug":"a-garage-converted-into-a-compact-guest-cottage-courtesy-of-mark-lewis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/nl\/a-garage-converted-into-a-compact-guest-cottage-courtesy-of-mark-lewis\/","title":{"rendered":"Een garage omgebouwd tot een compact gastenverblijf, met dank aan Mark Lewis"},"content":{"rendered":"

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London designer Mark Lewis knows how to conjure a world out of empty space: He began his career working on theater sets. So he was the perfect person for the job when a client wanted to transform a charming old garage into a guest room.<\/p>\n

Remodelista and Gardenista regulars know we have a weakness for garage makeovers: See, for instance, our own Michelle\u2019s Grottage, Karen Montgomery Spath\u2019s Airy Studio Apartment, and Model Carolyn Murphy\u2019s Painting Retreat. These transformations are a recurring dream come true\u2014the discovered room you never knew you had. Doll-house-like in their appeal, they\u2019re filled with small-space solutions to be remembered and copied. In the case of Lewis\u2019s project, the trickiest part was figuring out how to incorporate a bathroom\u2014while maintaining peace with the neighbors (and, of course, securing a permit from the planning commission). Join us for a look at Lewis\u2019s industrial-rustic results, dustbin WC included.<\/p>\n

Photography by Rory Gardiner, courtesy of Mark Lewis Interior Design.<\/p>\n


Above: Located in Hampstead, in North London, the garage stands alongside a 1905 house that the owners recently inherited and remodeled\u2014they hired Lewis as a consultant midway through that process and gave him free rein over the garage, which has its original terracotta-tiled roof and glazed door with decorative strap hinges. <\/p>\n

Lewis describes the style as \u201csuburban Edwardian,\u201d and says, \u201cThe space was being used for garden storage and junk. It had even been a chemistry lab at one point. It was unloved on the inside but externally in good condition.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: Lewis stripped the interior to reveal the vaulted ceiling (now insulated and plaster-finished), left the old brick exposed, and laid a new floor of reclaimed pine. He placed the bed against the sealed-up garage doors. Shallow wall shelves serve as bedside tables (for something similar, see the Corbin Bernsen Handyman Special.),<\/p>\n

The space is just under 194 square feet and took six weeks to make over\u2014the door on the left leads to the new loo. Note the wall lighting: It\u2019s electrical conduit with sockets and bulbs from Urban Cottage Industries.<\/p>\n


Above: To prevent a draft from blowing through the old doors Lewis insulated the wall behind the bed and added paneling that serves as a headboard. The bedding is from the Conran Shop. <\/p>\n

The painted surfaces are all in eco-conscious Earthborn White Claypaint.<\/p>\n


Above: In the back of the garage, new curtained French doors serve as the entrance: A short walk across the terrace leads to the main house. The concrete door surround is a detail Lewis also introduced around the bathroom door. <\/p>\n

This half of the room has a flea market desk, a dresser (built to order to get the desired dimensions), and a clothes rack made from industrial hand railing: \u201cIt\u2019s thicker than conduit and strong enough to hold heavy things; you can even hang from it.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: Lewis created a DIY coat rack using Jamie Hooks from his own growing line of classic hardware: See Custom Cast-Bronze from Mark Lewis and All in the Details: Mark Lewis\u2019s New Pantone Hardware.,

Above: The space is heated by an old woodstove relocated from a hall in the main house.
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Above: The wall shelf next to the French doors rests on Little Chap L Brackets. The ceramics are from the Conran Shop.
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Above: Lewis inserted a bathroom by building a triangular 43-square meter extension onto the side of the garage. It\u2019s lined with subway tile and neatly fitted out with a custom teak shelf and teak-framed medicine cabinet. The classic sink, toilet, and towel rail were all sourced from Crosswater of London\u2014go to Design Sleuth: The British Cloakroom Basin Tap for a nutshell history of the taps. <\/p>\n


Above: The custom under-sink cabinet is also teak with bronze Gareth Pull Handles. Note the use of mixed metals.
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Above: The tiny shower\u2014the apex of the triangular floor plan\u2014is reflected in the mirror.  The space is lit by brass bulkhead lights designed for wet conditions; for a similar design, see Davey Lighting\u2019s Oval Bulkhead Light available from DWR.
Above: It\u2019s concise but it works,\u201d says Lewis of the addition. The shower\u2019s Cast Bronze Air Vent is another design from Lewis\u2019s own shop. A high concrete shelf stands ready for toiletries. <\/p>\n

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Above: The wet room addition is fronted by a tidy garbage shed; both structures are made of sapele wood that will weather to gray. After seeing Lewis\u2019s plans, the owner of the garage next door granted permission for him to create a party wall (see first photo). In the back, however, Lewis was forced to \u201ctiptoe around another neighbor\u2019s garden fence.\u201d <\/p>\n

Here are more Mark Lewis designs (look and you\u2019ll find some favorite repeating elements):<\/p>\n