This years RIBA Stirling Prize Winner for the best building of the year was Caruso St John’s Newport Street Gallery.
Adam Caruso and Peter St John’s practice were also nominated in 2006 for Brick House and in 2000 for the New Art Gallery Walsall.
Back in 1987 I had recently moved into my first workshop in East London as an architectural joiner. Following the installation of a bespoke joinery contract for his neighbour, I was commissioned by Peter St John to supply and install most of the joinery, inside in reclaimed pitch pine, outside in iroko, for the house he was building for himself and family, in Lower Holloway.
This proved a valuable experience early in my joinery career. His regard for attention to detail, down to the profile of the turned knobs for a run of shaker wardrobes, and the importance of proportion and rhythm in the design process helping to inform my own practice.
Allways a loss leader, the pay-off came from the experience gained and leads to architects with whom I still work.
These are archive pictures of the ‘gunstock stiled’ doors for the ground-floor and reclaimed pitch pine stairs.
25 years later, following a chance encounter on Holloway Rd, Peter sent an enquiry for a set of fitted wardrobes for their bedroom, still in the same house.
It was great to revisit, still finding the ground floor doors in good shape, although most other joinery replaced when the interior had been updated.
The wardrobes ‘have been a great success.’
