Photography by Martin Gardner
Hidden from view, behind the ordinary looking façade of a modestly sized semi-detached house in North London, sits an elegant piece of modern contemporary architecture. The recently retired owners sought to adapt the existing small and cramped property into their perfect home.
The brief was to design a single storey extension at the rear of the existing 3 bedroom property, linking in with the original, whilst making minimal physical changes. The open-plan extension was to comprise of a new kitchen, new dining/living space, utility room, cinema room, WC and office area; with the aim to bring views of the garden and more light into the property.
The team at AR are particularly interested in relationships between inside and outside space, between the man-made and nature. They could see the potential to completely revive the feel and functionality of this home within the tight site as a parameter for an interesting design approach. It completely transforms the feel and atmosphere of the existing property.
As the wall reaches into the garden it projects through the large glazed doors, which can be opened completely. These allow sunlight to flood through the open-plan space and filter down gradually into the original property, creating beautiful shards of light. A flush threshold allows the tiled floor finish of the interior to continue out onto the patio, creating a seamless link between inside and outside. We follow the wall over the patio as it steps down onto the earth where it finishes, revealing us to the garden and nature.
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