HIGHBURY

INFORMATION

Prah Road is formed of beautiful, Victorian terraced houses of London Stock brick facades, with terracotta tile facade details. It is a peaceful residential street - despite its proximity to Seven Sisters and Blackstock Road and the mainline railway line to the west.

Our client has lived in their house for thirty years and extended their kitchen twenty years ago with a glazed roof side extension - a bolt on to the original kitchen area. The existing kitchen had a low floor-to-ceiling height and only a small window looking out to the garden. The brief was to create a larger, more dramatic kitchen, dining and entertainment space, with good connection to the garden. The top floor of the house was also to be replanned to create a master bedroom suite with a dressing room and ensuite shower room.

Our proposal was to strip back the existing ground floor extension and rear wall, supporting the first floor on a beam which spans the full width of the house. The existing floor level was excavated by half a metre to improve the headroom below the first floor structure.The supporting beam steps up and is concealed in the new raised ceiling which leaves an impression of the first floor structure above the new kitchen.

A length of joinery was added to the existing wall between the house and the extension, creating deep reveals between the original living rooms and corridor and generous concrete steps leading down into the new space.

The new rear facade is divided into two brick framed, full height openings which emphasise the additional height of the space. The London stock brickwork used for the new elevations was selected to match the existing building. The garden elevation is articulated with a set back opening and reflecting the stepped rear facade of the existing terrace. The brick lintels and concrete copings create a pared back industrial aesthetic that is further emphasised with the use of black painted steel Crittal windows in both the external envelope and at the junction with the existing rooms.

The openings between the house and extension, and in turn the extension and garden, have been carefully aligned to allow visual connections from the house through the new interiors to the garden beyond.

One of the most dramatic new features, is a large, bespoke rooflight which was introduced above the new dining area. The curved ends to the rooflight, create a unique sculptural form above the dining area, which modulates and creates interesting movement of light throughout the day. The external wall of the rooflight is clad in black glazed brick slips as found on the facades of the original London underground stations.

Our interior designer client, Zoe Anderson, developed an expressive scheme of dramatic terrazzo floor tiles, cast glass light fittings and a warm setting plaster colour scheme to work with the architecture. This compliments the rich walnut joinery and concrete worktops of the kitchen, by Kent & London.

The large openings connect to the peaceful garden which is densely planted with foliage - creating an oasis in central London. The result is a calm, warm and welcoming space which connects the interior spaces to the garden and draws natural light deep into the building.

Project Name: Highbury
Project Description: Rear Kitchen & Dining Room Extension & Master Bedroom Suite
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Service Engineer: Serge Lai Engineering
Building Control: LBC
Client: Private
Size: 80m2