A house that celebrates the opportunities of a great site and reflects the character and values of its owners.
A new house is like tailoring - it must ‘fit’ easily, be comfortable to wear, and reflect how we want to appear. This particular house sits comfortably with its neighbours - a row of detached houses in a conservation area on a single-sided road overlooking misty Wimbledon Park.
Clients approached us after going through lengthy planning procedures to remodel and extend the existing 1930s house on the site. A fresh approach was required to deliver a more dignified design with the integrity of a modern building.
The site slopes steeply down towards the front, which presented a challenge. How far should the principal floor be elevated above the road? Too high, and the entrance would be approached from a forbidding flight of steps. Too low would compromise views over the park and entail cutting the back garden terraces deep into the hillside.
The view suggested front bay windows, giving multiple outlooks and different... Read more.
A house that celebrates the opportunities of a great site and reflects the character and values of its owners.
A new house is like tailoring – it must ‘fit’ easily, be comfortable to wear, and reflect how we want to appear. This particular house sits comfortably with its neighbours – a row of detached houses in a conservation area on a single-sided road overlooking misty Wimbledon Park.
Clients approached us after going through lengthy planning procedures to remodel and extend the existing 1930s house on the site. A fresh approach was required to deliver a more dignified design with the integrity of a modern building.
The site slopes steeply down towards the front, which presented a challenge. How far should the principal floor be elevated above the road? Too high, and the entrance would be approached from a forbidding flight of steps. Too low would compromise views over the park and entail cutting the back garden terraces deep into the hillside.
The view suggested front bay windows, giving multiple outlooks and different qualities of light. Walls of a warm, red, hand-made brick flush-jointed in lime mortar, a traditional gable-fronted elevation, and proper chimneys all sit comfortably with the neighbouring houses, but close examination reveals the building’s modernity. Attic bedrooms have little balconies overlooking the park.
Customary rituals of arrival: gates, steps, iron balustrades, porch, door and lantern, are made in a traditional way, generously, with simplified, light details. At the rear, all ornament is stripped away and the building speaks in simple rhomboids and rectangular openings.
Inside, an oak stair winds round a central well with a skylight punching through the roof above. Well proportioned, well lit living rooms and bedrooms all connect to the central hall to make a family home of character and distinction.
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