The Brief
Plissé House is the transformation and extension of a Victorian family home, set within an established London street of Victorian and Edwardian terraces. The brief called for generous, light-filled spaces with a strong connection to the long, south facing garden but the proximity of neighbouring properties made privacy a fundamental design problem to solve, not an afterthought.
Geometry as Privacy
Rather than extending flatly across the full width of the house, Loud Architects developed a stepped rear extension that moves in and out across the site. The shifting geometry carves out pockets of privacy and lets daylight enter from multiple directions the architecture itself becomes the instrument that controls views, so the family can enjoy an open home without feeling on display.
A Ground Floor With Somewhere for Everyone
The original sequence of separate lounge, dining and kitchen rooms has become a fluid arrangement of connected spaces. The kitchen, dining, living, library, pantry, banquette, desk and reading nooks are now all with a clear spatial hierarchy rather than one anonymous open plan. Now different family members can occupy the floor at once without feeling on top of one another. The kitchen anchors it all: a cream and green palette, a 5.4m run, an island with seating, and a built in banquette that turns meal prep into a place to sit and talk.
Light, Framed
High level glazing around the kitchen and upper floor frames sky and garden rather than neighbouring windows, while large Crittall style rear openings pull the interior out into the garden. In section, changes in volume and roof form create intimacy within a generous whole, and rooflights draw daylight deep into the plan beyond the rear elevation.
The Façade: A Legible New Language
Rather than disguising the extension, we gave it a distinct identity: roughly 45–50m² of bespoke fluted concrete cladding, coordinated around the stepped geometry, its vertical fluting shifting in depth and shadow as the light moves across the garden through the day. Pressed aluminium coping sharpens the edges. Inside, Havwoods timber flooring, green cabinetry, cream joinery and the upholstered banquette soften that robustness into something warm and lived-in.
Upstairs: The Principal Suite
The first floor reorganises around a principal suite. A green dressing room, a calm bedroom with a working from home area, and a master bathroom that uses the extension's geometry to dramatic effect: a vaulted ceiling rising to 3.33m, a walk-in shower, freestanding bath, marble accents and a playful touch of red.
Making Every Square Metre Perform
On a construction budget of approximately £300,000, the aim was never maximum floor area but maximum impact per square metre. This was concentrated in the façade, glazing, kitchen, joinery and principal suite. The clients moved in before all the cladding was installed, proof that a strong design can absorb phased investment without compromising the concept.
In Summary
Plissé House frames views rather than simply cutting windows, uses plan and section to build intimacy within open spaces, and pairs robust materials with warm interiors. The result: contemporary without disregarding its Victorian context, open without feeling exposed, and built to support a young family for years to come.
