We were appointed by two neighbours in Highbury to design the rear extensions to their Victorian terraced houses. Both clients had similar aspirations and budgets, and wanted to undertake building works at the same time to reduce costs and inconvenience. Two projects became a single project undertaken by a single contractor.
Both properties had poorly planned ground floors and dated kitchen extensions of poor quality construction. The proposals extended the footprint of the property at the garden level and to create a generous open plan kitchen, dining and living space that embraced the courtyard gardens beyond. Large roof lights brought improved daylighting in the centre of the plan and the introduction of full width steps gently bridged the transition between the front and back of the house.
The materials chosen were sympathetic to the original Victorian houses, detailed in a modern way they nevertheless add warmth and texture to the design. The exposed, reclaimed London stock bricks to the party wall between the two extensions softly mirror the garden walls to the courtyard and link the two spaces blurring the lines between inside and out. This is complimented by the large format Concreate floor panels that give the impression of a polished concrete floor while being more economical to install. The full height engineered oak sliding doors are minimally detailed again to minimise the barrier between inside and out.
