Zminkowska De Boise inserts combined bookshelf-staircase into London flat

Books can be stored beneath the wide steps of this staircase, designed by Zminkowska De Boise Architects to connect the two halves of a split-level living room inside a renovated London flat.

London-based Zminkowska De Boise Architects made alterations to the ground floor of a two-storey Edwardian terrace, occupied by a couple and their young children. The project is named Rosa and John's home, after the two clients.The architects created a series of large new openings through the existing interior walls, merging the ground-floor living spaces to create an open-plan dining room and kitchen.

They then added a set of wide white steps with built-in book storage, connecting the main living space at the front of the house, with a "snug" that sits at a slightly lower level towards the back.

The steps can used by the residents as an informal seating area, while nooks on either side of the stairs form more structured spaces for reading or studying.

"The steps have been appropriated as a place for family members to sit, chat, read, write, draw, perform, and play, and the snug has become the centre of the home and of family life," explained architects Hanna Zminkowska and Richard De Boise.

"The scheme makes the most of the split floor levels, as floors in the snug become walls, and steps become shelves extending around the walls," added the architects.