Rugged stripes of Welsh slate complete the rear extension to this remodelled Victorian house, designed for a fashion stylist and a contemporary art curator, and their two young sons. The clients were keen to retain and enhance the material qualities of the original property whilst upgrading and extending their home of 10 years. An earlier, 1980s extension had introduced a small, low-ceilinged kitchen and stepped terrace to the rear, disconnecting the living spaces from the well-established garden.

The new full width rear extension introduces a dining and living area that feels like a room within the garden. Lowering the floor internally brings the new rooms level with the garden whilst increasing the internal ceiling height.

The panelled cabinetry doors and planar stonework of the new kitchen create a balance between the older parts of the house with their distinctive mouldings, and the pared back formality of the new extension. Elsewhere the use of reclaimed materials, such as French Oak flooring, aged door handles, and specific pieces of mid-twentieth century furniture, add further grain to the interplay between different design periods.

The dining room was conceived as a plain, gallery-like space with track lighting for display of the client’s collection of contemporary art & fashion photography. Full height glazed, sliding doors afford an expansive view of the garden where trees, and shrubbery in a variety of planters, filter daylight and change the quality of the space throughout the day.

As a foil to the calm interiors the rear of the new extension is dressed in thick ribs of rugged Welsh slate, the most common of Victorian roofing materials. This natural material provides a dark, rugged backdrop to the verdant garden.