Say Hi To Architect Laura Clark!

When the mission is all about finding real estate in the urban city, it can’t be denied that Londoners are pros at making do with small spaces. With that said, we would like you to meet Laura Clark, a London-based architect whose knack for renovation is completely off the roof!

Laura has one problem, though. According to her, she’s the worst property developer because she falls in love with everything and can never bear to get rid of the end result of her work. Well, ladies and gents, let’s see if she was able to sell off a home created from a long-abandoned public restroom!

Ogling What's Beneath London's Crystal Palace Parade

Kidding aside, Laura was really keen on getting her hands on the 600-square-foot lavatory found underneath London's Crystal Palace Parade. While others might see that measurement as a tad bit too little for their liking, it was exactly what Laura had in mind for what she wanted to accomplish.

Do not be fooled by the lavatory’s small size because the restoration of this dingy place had proven to be an enormous undertaking for Clark. To give you an idea, she had to persevere through confusion over property rights and exert an absurd amount of physical effort over it; things we'll expound later.

The Gross & Icky Canvas

We can’t possibly imagine what Laura thought when she first encountered the stairwell to the underground lavatory. However, we can tell you this: It takes an exceptional sort of mind to walk into a place filled with abandoned public toilets and think, yes, this can be someone’s future home.

With its small space, its already guaranteed that it won’t transform into a big, cool mansion. But we do hope, for Laura’s sake, that it turned out to be cool at least. After all, the property doesn't just hold the pigeon-holed communal latrine for the ladies, it also includes the men’s.

On The Lookout For A One-Of-A-Kind Challenge

The moment that Laura first discovered the London lavatories was back in 2005. At that time, she had just finished her studies at the Glasgow School of Art, where she got her degree in architecture. As a young architect who was just taking her first steps into the real world, she was in the mood to look for a unique challenge.

Clark shared her thoughts with the Telegraph and told them that her intention was all about redeeming sites with a fascinating history. Particularly, those that have been left in abandonment and forgotten by the masses.

Talented Designer Of Her Own Furniture, Interior, & Future

Now, don’t go losing hope on our dear Laura and her unconventional project. To boost your trust in her capacity, we want to give you more information about her background because this girl sure knows what she’s doing.

You’ll be surprised to know that she designs most of her own furniture along with her interior items. And since she’s so good at it, other artists and designers love collaborating with her. She has also won numerous awards celebrating her imaginative and innovative approach towards design and architecture. That’s the kind of person that Laura Clark is!

Seeing With An Architect’s Eye

With her architect’s eye, Laura obviously saw a lot of potential in the dilapidated Crystal Palace Parade urinals. Or else, she wouldn’t have taken any interest in it in the first place. Even if all we can see is filth and grime, it doesn’t mean that’s all there is to it.

Clark saw its height and glass-brick ceiling letting in some good natural lighting. She also saw how it is set into the concrete streets above and that it has a spot for an indoor-outdoor courtyard. But despite her early musings, it would take nearly seven years before she would actually be able to turn it into what she envisioned.

The Baby Steps To Transforming A Unique Space

Buying homes is truly hard, so trying to make a home out of an old public space was an even more difficult task to do. Since the underground room was constructed at the node of three council borders, Laura had one thing she needed to do. The architect needed to find the one in charge of the real estate.

Soon enough, Clark found out that it wasn’t being offered to be developed for marketable use. For that reason, she decided to renovate the space into a snug one-room apartment instead.

It Involved Endless Meetings for The Tenacious Young Architect

Apart from spending £3K or around $3.4K worth of money, Laura also went to a lot of meetings to appease the regeneration department of the Lambeth Council. However, the property’s ownership was suddenly questioned, and it became uncertain if she could build her project there.

Although Clark was a persistent 24-year-old then, it was somehow like she was already meeting a dead end. She had already spent around six months trying to convince her local committee to show her some inoperative underground lavatories. But apparently, they weren’t actually for sale.

Finally Owning The Run Down Property

When Laura eventually found out that the property was officially put on the market for sale, it was like a stroke of luck had come her way. She was finally able to obtain the lavatories in 2011 after years of waiting, and it only cost her £20K or an estimate of $24K from her bank account.

Clark then had the free reign to do whatever she wanted with the loos. However, that doesn’t mean that her dream renovation would come and be done easily. Buying the property was one thing, but building her vision was another totally different ordeal.

Time to Go Down and Dirty with Much-Needed Prep Works

Once she got the keys, Laura immediately descended below ground, exposing herself to revolting toilet cubicles that come with cisterns and rusty plumbing, which could be challenging for any plumber service. This is why it’s not surprising that a lot of preliminary jobs like deconstruction and cleaning were necessary to turn this abandoned property into a decent building site.

And while most people celebrate a brand new house by popping a bottle of wine or champagne, Clark brought a different bottle to pop. According to her, after signing the lease, she went down the loos with a big bottle of bleach at hand.

Restrooms From The Late Roaring Twenties

If you’re wondering why the restrooms were so disgusting, it’s because they were constructed way back in 1929 and the last activity it has seen was more or less three decades ago. If you left your toilet unused for that long, we’re sure it would start to smell of rotten eggs as well.

Even Laura admitted that the lavatories, which had been utilized by the residents of Crystal Palace in its heydays, were pretty gross. However, she was absolutely sure that there was something about the space that was quite special. And as a designer, she saw its potential.

A Dingy Place That Will Creep You Out

Despite Laura’s incredible vision of the untouched subterranean space, there was no denying that it was a place that could creep anyone out. It was just one of those areas that folks would go ham on telling spooky stories about every time Halloween comes up.

That was its vibe before Clark began to take action. Plus, it was absolutely filled with rubbish. At that starting point, Laura started her long journey toward crafting the comfy home of her dreams. Working with laborers and builders, she didn’t know then that they were going to add to her many problems.

Workers Bailed On The Heavy Workload

Knee-deep in debris, Laura saw the workforce she hired for the nasty work of clearing out the area bailing out on her. Those workers were supposed to be making money out of assisting the architect, but they chose not to.

Perhaps, one reason why the labor force bailed on Laura is because of how meticulous she was when it came to her vision. For example, she wanted to strip back a lovely reclaimed teak floor by taking out its old nails and using them end-on to define the grain. However, that meant added work, which the workers clearly didn’t want to do.

Ended Up As A Huge Do-It-Yourself Project

Fortunately, hard work is something Laura isn’t scared of. In fact, she was able to do exactly what she wanted with that gorgeous reclaimed teak floor by helping out a builder friend strip out the flooring from the Bristol gym in Scotland where it came from. It took days of hard work, but it was accomplished beautifully.

Clark ended up doing a whole heap of the straining work herself. The entire construction was just so labor-intensive that the architect found it difficult to keep people working on the project with her.

Summer Jobs Taught Her How To Work Hard

The going definitely got tough in Crystal Palace when Laura couldn’t find builders who were keen on staying more than a couple days at a time. But since she had years of laboring experience from summer jobs on building sites, she was able to put them to good use. This gal didn’t care if she got her clothes soiled as long as she finished what she started.

As Laura explained, understanding construction sites is essential for any architect like her—or property developer for that matter. She learned a lot from those summers she spent on site, but she was also able to develop a huge reverence for the building trade.

The Young Laura Wanted to Become A Surgeon Like Her Dad

Trusty Martial-Arts Buddies To The Rescue!

It’s awesome to learn how Laura is very much supported by her mom and dad. But aside from them, she also has a few people whom she can count on when it comes to tough times. She indeed did most of the work for the Crystal Palace project herself. However, it got to a point where she needed help.

Clark worked together with laborers, who pitched in with a considerable amount of effort into the construction. Aside from them, the persevering architect was also able to convince her martial-arts training comrades to help with the renovation. We’re just not sure if she offered them a salary, though.

The Things One Does For A Nice Cooking Spot

The area you see in the picture is the kitchen (although it doesn’t look like it yet). Looking at it this way, it’s somehow hard to think that its industrial-style lighting used to be the copper water tank of the building. That’s how imaginative Laura is as an architect; proving that she’s not just doing this for the paycheck.

At the beginning of her renovation journey on these lavatories, you might have been a bit skeptical about Lauren’s passion and talent. But now, we’re sure you can’t wait to see the full spectacle of what she was able to do with this previously mucky place!

Welcoming Steps to a Revamped Space

Laura’s well-being is blazing as she was finally able to finish her project and is now basking in her well-deserved dream pad. What came out of the dungeon-like, subterranean space is a contemporary abode boasting streamlined shelving, a gold-leafed bathroom, and a modernized kitchen.

But before you set your eyes upon those transformations, we first want you to take a look at the entrance to this renovated space. You may not recognize it, but you’ve seen this before. Yes, it’s that creepy looking stairwell from a few reads back. Just look at how welcoming it is now!

The Red-Hot Fruit of Hard Labor Ready To Be Savored

We have to start the house tour with the pearl of this architectural masterpiece: the bedroom. The red, white, and golden hues paired with the sort-of-canopy mattress and a full-sized glass mirror is currently making us feel some kind of way.

You have to admit that it’s now difficult to think of the construction site’s unpleasant past when all this beauty is in front of you! Even the plant beside the mirror is giving us life simply because we are living for this overhaul. And this is just the beginning!

Everyone Loves Space-saving Mod Bookshelves!

If you’re someone who loves reading books and have collected so many that you have no idea where to put them, then you’ll be inspired to do what Laura has done to maximize the small space she worked on. The architect stretched bookshelves throughout the entire apartment’s living room.

What she did made a whole lot of difference because it saved loads of space as opposed to an actual standing bookshelf. The added feature also served as an area where a few other items, like a typewriter and frames, can be positioned.

A Tiny Courtyard To Unwind In

It’s safe to say that this modernized home has everything that one may possibly need–including peace of mind to stabilize mental health. Laura was able to use the property’s extra space for a courtyard, where one can destress after a long, tiresome day at work.

Initially, the architect had to prove to planners that the area was fit for human habitation with adequate levels of light. But as you can see, even though it has no views, the one-bedroom apartment is bathed in natural light from above, which crosses over to the courtyard.

Keeping Some Sense Of Humor

We’re honestly so happy that Laura was able to make a reality out of her dream home—without the urinals, of course. Although, she did save some of the lavatory’s tiling for the cooking area. The tiles on the splashback of the kitchen counter were the ones reclaimed from the old structure.

As someone who has a good sense of humor, Laura actually had it in her to display a mini public health poster that warns future occupants, or anyone who cared enough to notice, of the hazards of venereal diseases in the kitchen area.

What It's Like Living in a (Former) Toilet

Laura’s living room was placed exactly where the gentlemen’s cubicles and urinals had been before the renovation and the adding of home decor transpired. The London gal had once said that she just loved the novelty of living in a toilet. Dense glass tiles on the ­concrete are on her ceiling, which provides natural light to the one-bedroom house below street level.

Clark isn’t a big fan of the type of upcycling that really exposes its origins. She likes going right back to what a material truly is, what it’s for, and what its best characteristics are. The technique is to strip it back to basics and then completely repurpose it.

A Bathroom Upgraded To Voguish Extent

And last but surely not the least, Laura, who has since established her own architectural practice called Lamp Architects, has given this bathroom more than a bit of an upgrade. This is a far cry from the dingy, old toilets that were present in the communal latrines for god knows how long.

Of course, Clark also added her own special little touch into it by placing very fine gold leaf sheets on the bath’s wall, which is very decadent for her. It was done on a shoestring since Laura did a great deal of the labor herself.

Who Could Ever Guess What This Chic Place Was Before?

Who knew that a subterranean space that used to be utilized as a community restroom could ever become a comfortable home! It’s Laura’s grit, positivity, and perseverance that really made this incredible transformation take place, so we’re really glad she pursued her education that led her towards her profession today.

Clark believes that renovation is not just a case of cautiously conserving historical features and splashing some vintage fixtures to the final result. She truly loves repurposing reclaimed things so that their look and purpose becomes entirely different from their own original form.

Two Grueling Years In The Making

It took Laura, along with her husband Kevin, two years to complete this project and turn it into the most awesome one-bedroom abode, which will surely be a gem in her portfolio. She had always been motivated to work on squandered brownfield sites, and this dream of hers turned out to be a real labor of love.

Laura is completely committed to conserving the history and characteristics of the structures that she works with. But aside from that, she also wants to guarantee that their impact and influence in the community is a positive one.

An Accomplished Mission and Lots of Exposure for Laura

Without a doubt, Laura was successful in turning an unusable, run-down public structure into an inspiring city living space. The once dingy space now boasts a red glossy kitchen, modern double-ended bathroom fixed against a golden wall, and a “bed cave” below what was the ladies’ staircase.

It’s no wonder George Clarke highlighted her toilet conversion on his TV show titled Amazing Spaces, which can be watched via streaming TV. Apart from that, she was also invited to give a talk at the Grand Designs show and was offered to become a judge on Channel 4’s highly popular TV show, Shed of the Year.

Becoming a Sought-After Industry Professional

Identified by her friends as Laura Loos, Clark’s very own Lamp Architects has since had many buyers asking for advice about other latrine renovations. Indeed, the company phone has not stopped ringing with brand new clients eager to put her imaginings, spirit, and budget-stretching concepts into practice.

With Lamp Architects, Laura was able to turn the 600-square-foot moldering commodes of London's Crystal Palace Parade into a brightly lit, comfy home for only £65K or about $78.4K. It’s amazing how she has managed to build the entire home with only that amount.

In Pursuit For More Ambitious Plans