Material Works Architecture has recently renovated and extended a Victorian-era terrace house in London. Having moved from a substantial loft apartment to a Victorian terrace, the clients were keen to recapture the open sense of space and light their former home had offered. The brief called for an open space that could be adapted for either entertaining, dining or relaxing simply by moving loose furniture.
“We wanted to move away from the typical rear extension that fills the new space with kitchen units and instead have a freer and more open space that really allowed the garden to connect with the house,” said Adam and Susan, the clients.
To achieve this, the kitchen was moved back into the center of the house, leaving the new room free of fixed joinery except for a single run of low-level solid oak units that provide storage and a shelf for artworks. The inclusion of full-height sliding glass doors and a minimally framed roof-light provide an abundance of natural day-light and visual connections to the rear garden. The structural steel was left exposed to provide a distinct design motif as well as maximizing the ceiling heights and sense of space.
