Set on the southern banks of the Thames, this three-story 1980s home posed an intriguing challenge. The kitchen occupied a walled-off corner of the first floor living room and the owner was keen to remove the wall and open up the space. Building Control, however, required that the kitchen had to be separated in some way from the open staircase beside it, for reasons of fire safety.  To resolve this apparently intractable obstacle, Uncommon Projects devised a ‘storage screen’ fitted with shelving for glasses and sliding doors that could be closed to separate the kitchen from the rest of the living room. This addition opened up the space while also meeting building control’s stipulations, as well as giving the client valuable extra living-room storage in the form of a cupboard and open shelf.