Home Office in a Garage Conversion

The clients are a neurosurgeon and a software engineer. They approached VATRAA to convert their unused garage into a secluded space where they could work from home or retreat in their thoughts. Part of a 1970s end-of-terrace house, the garage came with its own constraints: the 8-meter deep x 2 m tall space lacked natural light and felt claustrophobic. The architects turned this into an opportunity by using a trick on human perception. A dark plaster enhances the presence of natural light through the power of contrast, while its reflectiveness makes the space feel larger than it is. Bespoke solid mahogany joinery and special lighting bring warmth into a space infused with the homeowners’ personalities and passions, from books on neurology and Sci-Fi to a human-sized skeleton named Adam.