We were first approached by A+B at the start of lockdown in 2020 to remodel their London Victorian end of terrace in the Conservation area of Clapham.

The brief was to refurbish the house, in bad state at the time, and turn it into a home for their young family.

As well as creating some much needed space by excavating a new basement which extends under the full footprint of the property, we proposed a rear and side extension to open up the ground floor which improves the circulation flow and bring natural light into the space which was once segmented in small and dark rooms.

The materials are kept to a minimal palette of brick/timber and zinc which creates a cohesion inside and out and brings warmth and a sense of calm to the home.

In the main living and dining space, a fixed picture window has been wrapped around in dark zinc and a corner fully openable window offers expensive views of the garden. The rooflight above the table has been detailed in close collaboration with the glazing company to integrate the pendant chosen by the clients without the need for additional transom.

Each room has a custom-built joinery element designed by Studio 163 and, in keeping with the Victorian heritage of the house, we added some panelling and introduced playful hidden doors. The basement contains a play and cinema room for the two young kids, an utility room, a bespoke wine cellar and a separate bedroom for an elderly parent. At the ground floor are the key entertaining and living spaces, with a piano room acting as a home office and the four bedrooms and bathrooms can be found on the upper floors.

LOCATION: Clapham Common, London

BUDGET: 800K- 1Million

STATUS: Completed Septembre 2022

TEAM: Green Sheen Construction Contractor / Axiom Structural and Civils Engineers / Cast by the London Joinery &Co Joinery / RoundHouse Kitchen Company / Lorenzo Zandri Photographer

“Having you as our Architects made such a big difference -you have been key to the success of the project all along from the initial design, planning, tendering and the building phase. As this was the first time for us to be part of such a big project we had lots of questions, were unsure or just could not decide about a lot of elements. You have listened to us, provided your inputs, explanations, guidance and always respected our thoughts and feelings so that we could make a more informed decision” B+A