Covent Garden Apartment by Carmody Groarke
Covent Garden Apartment sits atop a nineteenth-century Grade II Listed merchant’s house in London, United Kingdom, reimagined by Carmody Groarke as a duplex penthouse. The home pairs an aluminum rooftop pavilion with renovated interiors shaped for family life. Inside, walnut and ash temper the industrial gleam while new skylights pull light deep into the plan. It’s a composed, material-led project with a crisp exterior and a warm, crafted core.
Bright metal catches the morning as the rooftop comes into view. A pitched silhouette rests above London stock brick, its planes clean, cool, and evenly sanded.
This duplex penthouse in London is renovated by Carmody Groarke with a clear material idea at its core. The project’s identity turns on a new aluminum pavilion and a tightly edited interior palette that balances brightness with warmth.
Cast Metal Pavilion
The rooftop addition spans 14 metres (45.9 feet) across the rear, its solid-plate aluminum walls and roof reading as a single, elemental volume. Plates at 25mm thickness meet in crisp seams, their proportions echoing the window rhythm below. Outside, the sanded finish throws sharp light and deep shadow; inside, it bounces daylight to a soft, even glow. A sheltered terrace sits alongside the interior, an in-between perch that feels connected to the market rooftops.
Kitchen as Mirror
Within the pavilion, the kitchen takes shape in sanded stainless steel, a deliberate counterpoint that mirrors the aluminum skin. Surfaces read continuous and taut, giving everyday use a precise, almost calm cadence. The material dialogue is direct: cool metal carries light, while robust slabs and panels hold edges true during heavy family routines.
Walnut and Ash Rooms
Below, the entry and bedrooms are wrapped in walnut-panelled joinery that warms the path upstairs. Doors, wardrobes, and trims align as one field, turning storage into architecture. Heartwood ash adds a lighter note where touch matters, its fine grain softening handles, thresholds, and edges. The measured timber sequence grounds daily life and tempers the loft’s height.
Stone Underfoot
Italian silver travertine defines the kitchen, bathrooms, and terraces with a cool, striated depth. Each slab is dry-laid and selected for tone, then set to frame key thresholds and working zones. Against the aluminum shell, the stone reads quiet and dense, while beside walnut it amplifies the timber’s richness. The trio—metal, wood, stone—does the heavy lifting of mood and function.
Light in the Loft
New skylights slot between original trusses on the upper level, drawing air and daylight across an open-plan living room. High ceilings carry that light to the far wall, reducing glare and keeping corners active through the day. The plan opens to the terrace for quick shifts between cooking, dining, and a step into the breeze (even brief pauses feel expansive).
Back on the roof, the pavilion resolves as a clear outline against the city. Metal, timber, and stone do their quiet work, each chosen for feel and performance. As sun shifts to dusk, the aluminum softens and the walnut deepens, leaving a precise home with an easy daily rhythm.
Photography by Johan Dehlin
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