Stoke Newington House is the extension and full refurbishment of a Victorian mid-terrace in Hackney, reimagined as a calm, light-filled four-bedroom family home that celebrates the outside from within. The clients, Tam and Rhianna, wanted serene everyday spaces, stronger connections to their lush south-facing garden and sky views wherever possible, while retaining the familiar character of the terrace.
The existing two-storey, three-bedroom house had generous rooms but a fragmented plan and very little visual or spatial connection to the garden. At the same time, the property sits mid-terrace and is attached to a neighbour 1.5m lower, creating sensitivities around scale, massing and overlooking that shaped both the planning strategy and the architectural response. The design therefore had to open and extend the house while remaining sympathetic in height, materiality and silhouette to avoid adverse impact on the neighbours.
A combined side-infill and rear extension forms a new kitchen–dining space at ground floor, organised around two new sightlines that run from the entrance to the garden. A stepped, fully glazed façade and an L-shaped overhead rooflight draw daylight in from multiple directions and frame views of planting and sky, while also visually breaking down the volume to reduce perceived mass from the lower neighbouring garden. Additional reconfigurations at ground level introduce a cloakroom and a central family snug, loosely connected to the more formal front reception.
Above, the first floor is replanned to create a master suite with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, alongside a family bathroom, second bedroom and built-in laundry and pantry. A new outrigger roof extension and rear dormer combine to form a third storey with a home study and guest bedroom with ensuite, giving the family more flexibility over time. Rooflights are placed over the stair and within the ensuite shower, pulling light into the centre of the plan and offering the sensation of showering under the sky.
Constructionally, the extension is expressed as a lightweight contemporary addition to the original masonry shell: pale brickwork, light-toned aluminium framing and minimal head detailing to full-height “infinity-effect” glazing emphasise slenderness and a stronger relationship to the garden. Internally, a restrained palette of natural, earthy materials – fluted oak joinery, stone paving that continues from inside to out, and warm brass details – ties together old and new fabric. Alongside the spatial transformation, upgraded insulation, improved glazing and more controlled openings quietly lift the home’s thermal performance, making it more comfortable and energy-efficient than the original terrace.
