London-based firm Rise Design Studio has recently extended and refurbished a two-storey house for a couple and their daughter in Kensal Rise, London. The intention was to improve the quality of light and chop up the existing disparate internal ground floor layout to allow for an open-plan area and more fluidity between the kitchen/dining and TV room and rear garden. The side alley becomes an internal space by way of a frameless glazed envelope which allows for views to the sky and rear garden from deep within the plan, giving the space an external character.
The contrasting material palette was chosen to create drama and distinction between the three main areas by way of emphasising the varied sensory experiences. Encaustic tiles greet you on entering the house leading you to distressed Oak flooring in the front reception room and TV room. To contrast with the Oak flooring and Encaustic tiles, polished concrete floor was chosen for the open plan kitchen dining area which extends to a flamed basalt stone for the external patio unifying these areas. The rear patio and kitchen dining areas are further unified by a continuous internal external brick wall consisting of London stock bricks which were reclaimed during demolition of the side and rear openings.
The TV room was painted dark grey to create a cave-like chill-out area and accentuate the new opening onto the daylight-filled dining and kitchen. A brass watermark collection Brooklyn tap is positioned on the kitchen island and brass pendant lights define this central space.
A mild steel bike shelter was designed to be positioned on an existing rendered boundary wall, painted to colour match the sliding doors frames.
all images © Jack Hobhouse