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Many houses built towards the end of the last century had vast proportions, with ceilings sometimes 15ft high or more. Such rooms have since been divided into two in modern conversions, but few people have thought of making full use of all the wasted space in the ceiling.

Designer Ian Rangeley's flat in the centre of London consisted of one large south-facing room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The large room obviously had to combine sleeping and living facilities, but it was the 13ft high ceiling that gave the designer an idea for a bedsitter with a difference.

By constructing a sleeping gallery over half the room area, away from the window end, he was able to retain all the floor space below for the living section, and still leave room for a dining area. The final layout allows 6ft headroom in the gallery bedroom and nearly 7ft below, and has the added benefit of separate living and sleeping quarters.

This room had already been divided into two in a previous conversion, and the partition wall created an awkward corner at the window end.

Here a cantilevered desk has been tucked in, which helps to camouflage the ugly angles.

Two large sofas and two armchairs have been arranged to form a square conversation area under the sleeping gallery. A dining area has been fitted beyond it at the dark end of the room, next to the door to the hall and therefore handy tor the kitchen, In this way, the door and circulation area do not break up any section of the room, but separate the dining and living areas. The vertical pillars that support the rear end of the sleeping gallery also mark the dividing line between these areas. The dining table is fixed to both the wall and two of these pillars.

A false ceiling had been fitted at this end of the room in the previous conversion, but the designer decided to construct another one 2ft below it to line up with the floor of the gallery.

The space above it, which is accessible by removable panels, is used for storage, and the electricity meter and fusebox.

In another corner of the room, fitted shelves hold books, radio, record players and other leisure facilities. All the corners and alcoves in this room have been put to good use, and shelves and cupboards are fitted wherever possible to disguise the awkward angles.

Unlike many sleeping galleries, which are only just large enough for a bed, Ian Rangeley' s is spacious, housing wardrobes and a dressing table as well. He feels that rooms where every shelf and cupboard is enclosed look too clinical, so the hanging space and shelves here have been left open-fronted to reveal their contents.

The sleeping gallery is L-shaped, and the cantilevered dressing table, with a mirror above, is fitted in the end of the L over the 'leisure' corner of the living room. Three horizontal rails act as a safety barrier at the edge of the gallery-a lighter alternative to a more solid 'fence', No privacy is needed here, so this attractive open arrangement is quite satisfactory.

The tall windows light the sleeping gallery well, but the light in the living area below is somewhat subdued. However, the designer maintains that a lot of natural light is not necessary in a living room, as he spends so little time sitting in it during daylight hours. The soft color scheme--off-white walls, cream furniture and pale green and pink upholstery--give a restful appearance. Enormous spherical paper lanterns hung apparently at random cast a soft light all over the room, supplemented by spot lights. A collection of plants at the window end improves the view over the fire escapes outside.

The furniture is one of the most economical features of this bedsitter; Ian Rangeley made it all himself, including the bed, in chipboard. He designed it on a module, based on the standard sizes available: 2ft 6in. x 1ft 8in. One sofa is 7ft 6in. long, and easily doubles as a spare bed, the other is 5ft. A large cube-shaped table provides additional storage to that in the bases of the sofas and chairs. He cut the foam rubber cushions by hand with a sharp knife, and covered them in a floral print.




------------- Opposite page. The sleeping gallery covers about half the area of the room, leaving 7 ft headroom below. The structure is built from cheap softwood, sanded and finished with clear polyurethane varnish.

Above left. The view down from the sleeping gallery to the open area below shows the awkward shapes created by the partition wall erected in a previous conversion. A cantilevered desk fitted in an alcove by the window helps to disguise the worst angles.

Below left. A step ladder fixed at a slope leads from the living area to the sleeping gallery above. Bookshelves are fitted in a shallow alcove behind it, and a cupboard in the deeper alcove beyond.

Above. The furniture is made of chipboard, with storage space provided in t he hollow bases. The foam cushions were cut with a knife to it the sofas and chairs. Large paper lanterns supplement the spotlights fitted to the underside of the sleeping gallery.

Below. This sleeping gallery is larger than most, which have room for only a bed. Here, open-fronted wardrobes and a dressing table have been built into the L-shaped structure, which has 6ft headroom.


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Updated: Friday, June 24, 2022 23:30