Goldsmith

Project Brief

Our client wanted to create a special family home, distinct and particular to them. The project brief included alterations and extension at ground floor level to provide an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, along with ancillary spaces, plus refurbishment and alterations throughout first floor level, including the creation of a dressing room and ensuite for the main bedroom. It was important for every part of the house to become well-used, and for the interiors to feel playful yet timeless.

Design Solution

The design evolved through numerous workshops with our client, with an end result that is richly layered and deeply personal. The selection of materials with texture and natural warmth were made consciously and combined with the design of bespoke patterns to add variety and character to individual spaces. For example, composite stone tiles in four colours are laid in staggered columns in the entrance hall to lead the eye into the main space. A secondary passageway offset below the staircase leads to a cloaks area and home study, which in turn links back to the main space with an arched opening – another recurring motif.

The main space is a generous open-plan kitchen, living and dining room. Although the room is very deep, high levels of natural light are maintained through two large areas of roof glazing, and internal glazed doors to the front living room creating a through-aspect. Glazed French doors and screens to the rear are full height to maximise light and visual connection to the garden. The use of sheer curtains, integrated blinds and solar control glass helps to prevent glare and excessive heat during the summer months.

Large steel beams were needed to create the expansive space, and we made a virtue of them – using the necessary down-stands to zone and create order. The dining area is set within the original building footprint and framed at high level with traditional cornices and ceiling mouldings. To the side and rear of this are set the kitchen and living area – new spaces that are unmistakably modern, with flush skirting boards and shadow gaps. Curved linings mediate between the modern and traditional spaces. Bespoke joinery in the living area playfully references the arch motif in its cupboard door detailing, with a combination of stained oak, shop sprayed timber, and ribbed textures providing an expressive backdrop to the space.

An oak chevron parquet with a white oiled finish runs from the front living room all the way to the back of the house. The kitchen is tiled in composite stone laid a bespoke pattern, which runs through into the pantry at one end and the utility room at the other. The kitchen is configured as a linear run offset from a supersize island unit. Cabinetry is in a dark-stained oak with worktops and splashback in a leathered finish quartzite.

Upstairs we created a luxurious principal bedroom suite in an enfilade arrangement. Arched openings align from bedroom through dressing to a large ensuite bathroom. A two-person bath is centred in the space, with a bespoke floor pattern radiating outwards. A reeded glass door to the WC cubicle admits light whilst also offering privacy. The walk-in shower is deep and needs no door. An oak vanity unit provides an abundance of storage and a generous surface area.

The Exterior

The new spaces are formed by a side and rear extension which wraps around the property. A substantial volume is added to the main space to maximise floor to ceiling heights, with pitched roofs to the sides to minimise the impact on neighbouring properties. The rear elevation is stepped in plan to break down the mass of the extension - articulating three distinct volumes. At the centre, a tall, rectilinear box, with bronze-coloured glazing and charred timber fins, is framed on each side by weathered London stock brickwork. To the left and right, secondary volumes pitch down towards the boundaries and are clad in charred timber boards. The front elevation is sensitive to the heritage of the existing building and street scape, with red brickwork and new sash windows reflecting original details. Cast stone elements offer a modern interpretation of the original decorative stonework – similar in proportion, but simpler in detail. This subtle move makes the extension both distinct as a modern addition, yet contextual and subordinate to the original building.

Photographs & Videos by Chris Wharton