"Young architecture studio uses exposed brickwork, timber and concrete to create a light-filled extension to Victorian terraced house in Camberwell."
Oliver Leech Architects has transformed a Victorian house in Camberwell with a radical remodel and ground floor side and rear extensions, using a palette of raw, natural materials.
The two-storey house was in poor condition, with little natural light and cramped kitchen, so the architecture studio, based in Wandsworth, were given the task of re-designing the house to provide new cooking and eating spaces that face out onto the garden.
The young client, an Advertising Executive, expressed his desire to maximise open-plan living with a focus on height and light to provide more usable space and a calm atmosphere. Work began in September 2018 when the house was stripped back to a shell, extended and internally rebuilt.
The design focused on the use and expression of natural materials that would complement and respect the original house. The use of a limited palette of natural materials provides a consistent language throughout the house, creating a coherent relationship between old and new. White oiled Douglas fir was paired with pale buff bricks which has been expressed both externally and internally, as a subtle contrast with the existing London bricks.
Volumetrically, the extensions are articulated into two distinct volumes. A side extension provides extra width to the previously narrow kitchen, with pitched skylights overhead to bring in plenty of north light into the dining space throughout the day. A rear extension projects slightly further into the garden, framing a set of white-oiled Douglas fir bi-folding doors across a low-height window seat. The seat, formed in cast stone, provides flexible seating as well as storage and can be used both internally and externally. It developed from the client’s particular desire to be able to sit and read in the evening sun, whether with the doors open or closed. The materials of the extension are continued through into the patio, with buff clay pavers laid in herringbone bond, surrounded by white-oiled timber boundary screens.
The height of the extension was maximised to balance the low ceilings of the existing kitchen, and to bring in as much natural light as possible deep into the space. A large frameless skylight is positioned at the junction between old and new with gentle ceiling curves to create a soft transition of light down into the kitchen.
The bespoke-built kitchen, designed by the architects, continues the use of exposed raw materials, with a concrete countertop and sink to match the micro-cement kitchen floor. The deep green units provide the counterpoint within the design to the pared-back approach and becomes a focal point within the room.
Throughout the rest of the house, a similar approach has been taken to materials. In the living spaces the original timber floors have been sanded back and oiled, and a muted colour palette employed on walls and ceilings. The hallway, previously dark and narrow has been opened up to expose the original wall structures which allows borrowed light to be shared between spaces whilst preserving the character and proportions of the original interiors.
Maximilian Taylor, the client, said:
“The key items on my brief from the very beginning were to create a house that had space, light and comfort. Oliver and the team did a great job of delivering that. It feels amazingly homely and light. I still enjoy just sitting in silence in the space that’s been created – the atmosphere is very calm.
The way the light hits the timber beams in the kitchen and then refracts around the extended kitchen. It’s amazing and changes throughout the day.
The high point of the project was exposing the wooden beams in the reading room and seeing the existing living spaces completely transformed.
In made sense to stay in the house rather than move as I love the location and was excited about what I could do with the existing space. I had bought the house a few years prior - I was looking for something with character that I could do work to in a few years’ time. I chose Oliver Leech Architects as they were referred to me by a previous client of theirs. I then met Oliver, and reviewed some of their previous projects, which convinced me that they were the right architects to go with.”
Oliver Leech, Director, Oliver Leech Architects, said:
‘The project was a celebration of simple materials which have been carefully chosen to provide a subtle distinction between the old Victorian property and the new extension. The soft warm colours of the new brickwork were matched with the cool grey concrete floor to give the project a simple elegance without losing the feeling of a cosy spaces that can be enjoyed throughout the year. Texture also had a key role to play and the materials were chosen to provide tactility as well as visual beauty. The ruggedness of the internal brickwork sits wonderfully alongside the smooth matt walls and ceilings, and polished reflective concrete countertop of the kitchen.
Height and light are important themes in our projects to create beautiful and healthy living spaces. We maximised the height of the new extensions and introduced large glazed openings to bring in as much light as possible.”
Material Used :
1. Bricks: Wienerberger
2. Pitched skylights: Standard Patent Glazing Company
3. Aluminium windows: Velfac Ltd.
4. Timber windows: Capital Joinery Ltd.
5. Cast stone lintels and window seat: Albion Architectural Concrete
6. Micro-cement floor: The Micro Cement Company Ltd.
7. Bathroom tiles: Parkside Designs, Claybrook Studio
8. Sanitaryware: Bathroom Discount Centre, Lusso Stone, Cast Iron Bath Company
9. Lighting: Mr Resistor, Muuto, Flos, Heal’s, Workstead, Tala
10. Switches and sockets: Focus SB
11. Ironmongery: Homebits, M.Marcus
12. Kitchen: MG Carpentry
13. Kitchen Fittings: Neff, Franke
14. Kitchen worktop: Stoneworktop.co.uk
15. Paint: Paint and Paper Library
