Manuel Urbina Studio's Heyford Avenue project began with a flat in a state of disrepair. The brief required comprehensive renovation, both structural and finish, and Urbina guided the project from initial concept through to construction. The design strategy is built around 2 related problems: a north-facing orientation that limits natural light, and a client on a constrained budget. Both shaped every decision in the scheme.

The rear extension is the project's organizing move. A single-storey addition sits at the back of the flat and connects directly to the garden, keeping the boundary between interior and exterior deliberately soft. Walls and ceilings in the extension are finished in washed plaster, and micro-cement lines the shower room, giving the new spaces a consistent, low-contrast surface language that reads as continuous rather than assembled. The extension's pitched roof takes a large skylight, pulling daylight into the core of the plan where north-facing windows cannot reach. Reflective surface treatments on the floors, walls, and ceilings work throughout to distribute that light further.

Storage was a significant deficiency in the original flat. Urbina resolved this through careful planning rather than bespoke joinery: IKEA cabinets are integrated throughout the kitchen, hallway, and bedroom with enough precision that they read as built-in. An additional storage space was found beneath the stairs during construction and put to use for daily essentials. The approach demonstrates that thoughtful spatial planning can achieve the appearance of a considered custom interior without the associated cost.

The project won the Don't Move Improve! 2024 People's Choice Award, recognition for residential design in London that balances the constraints of budget and existing fabric against genuine spatial quality.