London-based studio Manea Kella has transformed an Edwardian terrace in the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, returning a neglected house to its original role as a single-family home while opening it up to light, craft, and contemporary living.
Once subdivided into two apartments during the 1970s and left in disrepair for decades, the property has been reimagined through a process of careful restoration and thoughtful intervention. At its heart lies a balance between preservation and reinvention: the renewal of historic character alongside bold new gestures that create clarity, openness, and comfort for modern life.
The design is underpinned by a restorative approach, repairing and reusing as much of the existing fabric as possible. Original fireplaces, leaded glass, and picture rails have been preserved and celebrated, while the building envelope has been upgraded to improve thermal performance. At the front of the house and on the upper levels, changes are deliberately restrained, ensuring a sensitive dialogue with the neighbouring terraces.
The rear of the home tells a different story. Here, a failing extension has been replaced by a new addition that retains the footprint but radically transforms the experience of the space. Conceived as a glazed volume, the extension brings together the kitchen, dining, and living areas in a free-flowing plan wrapped around a courtyard. Generous glazing draws daylight deep into the interior and frames views of the outdoors, dissolving the threshold between inside and out. A continuous limestone floor finish extends from the living spaces into the courtyard, making the modest patio feel expansive and fully integrated with daily life.
“Our ambition was to create a home that feels both familiar and renewed. By carefully restoring the historic details and combining them with a contemporary extension, we wanted to respect the character of the terrace while introducing new spaces that are open, light-filled, and adaptable for modern living.”
The extension is defined by clean, modernist lines softened by a tactile palette of glazed green tiles, lime render and stained timber. These materials reference the local vernacular while adding new layers of texture and colour. This careful attention to detail ensures that the new work feels crafted and enduring, complementing the historic fabric rather than competing with it.
Situated near Hampstead Heath, the house is part of a cohesive group of Edwardian terraces distinguished by gabled roofs, pebbledash render, and brick porches. In this context, Manea Kella’s intervention feels at once sensitive and confident. Key period features have been preserved at the front, while the rear has been recast in a contemporary expression. The result is a home renewed, one that honours its historic setting while opening a fresh chapter in the life of the terrace.
Through this balance of restoration and innovation, the project demonstrates how sensitive design can breathe new life into historic homes, sustaining their stories while adapting them for generations to come.
