David Kohn Architects completes House on a Hill penthouse in Covent Garden

David Kohn Architects has completed House on a Hill, a three-storey penthouse atop a Victorian warehouse in Smarts Place, Covent Garden, London. Rather than extending the brick block below, the studio treated the roof as a new ground plane, using bay windows to evoke a 'house on a hill'. The stepped facade features curved and angular bay windows. Inside, a strip of living spaces—dining room, library, lounge—runs along the southern side, each with different geometry and skyline views, connected as an enfilade without doors. A library has a high curved shelf; ceilings in living and dining areas are subtly undulating plasterboard. On the first floor, bedrooms and a study are stepped back with balcony terraces. A spine of service spaces (kitchen, bathrooms, lift, stairs) runs along the northern party wall, with coloured circular skylights. Landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan designed trees and plants for sun-shading and privacy. The exterior is clad in dark plum-coloured bricks with pale mortar. Extensive shelving, picture rails, and nooks display objects and books. The project recalls precedents from Sir John Soane's Museum to Villa Necchi in Milan, and previous practice projects like Red House and A Room for London. Developer Baylight Properties commissioned the project. Photography by Will Pryce.