“Use skylights the fUll length of the side extension

to draw in light and make the room feel bigger.”

CREATIVE EXTENSIONSPROJECT Bespoke kitchen by Higham Furniture, higham.co.uk.

BACKGROUND The 41sq m rear extension of this Victorian home incorporates the side return and features an L-shaped glass roof and steel-framed glass windows and doors leading to the garden. The bespoke handleless Shaker kitchen, with its modern-rustic panelling, adds warmth to the otherwise minimal design.

KEY FEATURES The big selling point here is the L-shaped glass roof, which brings light into every part of the space. Two brick walls frame the structure and echo the original building and, thanks to the wide doorway between the living room and kitchen, there are views from the front of the house right through to the garden. The Shaker-style cabinetry and the reclaimed black steel supporting pillar bring interest to the space without compromising its contemporary good looks.

IN DETAIL

What was the brief? The homeowners wanted an industrial-style feel with a good mix of traditional and modern elements. The space also had to sit harmoniously with the rest of the Victorian property.How did you use colour and materials to enhance the light? The paint shades – Little Greene’s French Grey Pale on the wall cabinets and Lead Colour on the island – contrast beautifully with the exposed brick and tie in with the limestone flooring. Using the paler tone in an area where there’s less light helps to create a bright feel. We opted for a matt white Corian worktop, which doesn’t clash with the brick walls, and polished metal appliances that bounce light around the room. What’s the most important piece of advice you would give anyone building an extension like this? Integrate the design with the original property and, if possible, use skylights the full length of the side extension and at the far end to draw in light and make the room feel bigger.

Smart ideas that bring a new dimension to contemporary living

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SPACES

PROJECT A timber extension for a ground-floor flat in a Victorian villa by Scenario Architecture, scenarioarchitecture.com.

BACKGROUND This Victorian villa is unusual in that it has a very wide façade, which allowed the architects to be creative with the modern extension the owners requested to replace a tired glass conservatory. The new design had to respect the proportions of the building, but bring more natural light into the living room and kitchen.

KEY FEATURES The back wall of the house was retained and framed by a Scottish larch-clad extension with a pitched roof and glazed folding doors that open up the entire living area to the leafy courtyard garden. The original living room now overlooks the new extension (right), and can be closed o≠ with the property’s traditional window shutters to make it feel more cosy. In the adjacent half of the extension, the kitchen is more enclosed but remains beautifully lit thanks to a huge square skylight. All the timber used in the project was sustainably sourced.

PROJECT A kitchen and dining extension in a family home, fitted with VELUX® roof windows, velux.co.uk.

BACKGROUND This spacious extension houses a kitchen and dining area, which opens up onto a large patio. The interior walls, floors and ceiling are all clad in pale timber, which helps to maximise light levels and contrasts with the black cabinetry.

KEY FEATURES A rectangular VELUX INTEGRA® roof window positioned between the kitchen’s wall cabinets and island provides optimum natural light for cooking, while also illuminating the whole extension. This electronically operated design can be powered via the mains or an integrated solar cell, and is controlled from an easy-to-use touch-screen control pad. The homeowners can program the window’s ventilation settings to funnel steam, smoke and cooking odours out of the room, which is ideal for meal times. Extra features, such as sun screening to prevent overheating in summer and a rain sensor that closes the window automatically when needed, are also available.

“ThE hOmEOwNERS CAN pROgRAm ThE

wINdOw’S VENTIlATION SETTINgS TO fuNNEl

STEAm, SmOkE ANd COOkINg OdOuRS OuT

Of ThE ROOm.”

IN DETAIL Grant Sneddon, product manager at VELUX, explains how roof windows can enhance light in your home.What are your tips for using VELUX roof windows to maximise light? A roof window will let in up to twice as much light as a vertical window of the same size, allowing daylight to penetrate deeper into a room and illuminating areas that might otherwise be dark. Consider the direction the windows will face: installing south-facing windows will allow the majority of the day’s sunlight into your home, helping to heat it naturally and making the most of the long hours of summer daylight. You should also take the room’s views into account. Try to install roof windows where they will look out onto trees or sky, not a busy road.How easy are VELUX roof windows to install? They require no more than a hole cut in the roof. Our flashing kits and installation products, which are suitable for virtually all

roof materials, ensure the windows will be well insulated and weathertight. Our website includes a useful database of certified installers across the UK.Can you tell us more about the range of options? The windows come in 24 sizes, from 55x78cm to 134x1600cm, with three internal finishes, including maintenance-free white polyurethane for humid rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms. If you simply need to maximise daylight, our top-hung roof windows open 45° outwards and give unrestricted views. For out-of-reach areas, consider VELUX INTEGRA® electrically operated roof windows or flat roof windows, which are perfect for flat roof extensions and can be installed in roofs with a pitch from 0 to 15˚.What are the cost considerations? A small centre-pivot roof window starts at £200, while a large electrically operated one can cost over £1,000. Installation costs vary depending on the location of the window and the scope of the project.P

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SPACES EXTENSIONS

PROJECT Slot House, an 1860s terraced house renovated by Studio Octopi, octopi.co.uk.

BACKGROUND This house had been extensively modernised during the 1990s, but felt fragmented and cramped. The architects were asked to create a modern family home with a renewed sense of the original proportions.

KEY FEATURES Called the Slot House, because of the full-height column of glass sash windows that slots between the end wing and the neighbouring house, this building retains its Victorian frontage but tells a different story inside. The double- height dining space has expansive views across the lower two floors, with open treads on the staircase further enhancing light levels. The stairs look towards an impressive 6m-tall pivoting door that opens out onto the garden. Polished concrete flooring connects the interior with the terrace, which features planted green walls that can be glimpsed from various parts of the house. In the bathroom, the double-glazed windows have an interlayer of steel mesh that gives privacy without sacrificing light.

IN DETAIL Chris Romer-Lee, founder and director of Studio Octopi with partner James Lowe, tells us more about the design.What was the brief ? The focus was on making a meaningful, functional link between the ground, lower ground and first floors. Key to this was forming the double-height space at the rear of the property and installing a new staircase linking the three floors. There is now a flow across these spaces.How did you reconfigure the interior? Over the ground floor, there were various changes in level and many doors between the rooms, making them feel small and confined. To overcome this, we removed all the internal walls from the lower two floors and inserted a steel frame. This allows clear views from front to back and side to side of the house.Was it difficult to maintain a sense of privacy with so much glass? The house overlooks warehouses with small business units, and the view from them is restricted. Although the principal living spaces are heavily glazed, there are more intimate areas in the house that offer greater privacy. The study is tucked away on the first floor and there is a top-floor snug with a kitchenette and a roof terrace.The tall glass door looks heavy – is it easy to use? You can open and close it with one finger. The pivot takes the weight. P

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“AlThOugh ThE pRINCIpAl lIVINg

SpACES ARE hEAVIly glAzEd, ThERE

ARE mORE INTImATE AREAS IN ThE

hOuSE ThAT OffER gREATER pRIVACy.”

may 2017 | H&G | <#R#><#L#> | H&G | may 2017

SPACES EXTENSIONS

PROJECT A new interior and a basement extension, designed by Eldridge London, eldridgelondon.com, for a west London home.

BACKGROUND Light was the chief concern for the owners of this narrow house, which is enclosed on three sides. When they bought the property, it was dark and unwelcoming due to a poor refurbishment in the 1990s, so a complete rethink from top to bottom was needed.

KEY FEATURES “We used large expanses of glass to draw light into the building, provide transparency and enhance the sense of space,” says Mike Gibson, associate director at Eldridge London. The most impressive feature is the 5m glass element in the dining room, which forms a balustrade and a part of the floor. Made from five layers of glass sandwiched together, including two of toughened glass, it allows essential light into the basement living room, which has no natural source of illumination. Opposite the kitchen, a small courtyard with double-height glazed window lets in more light; viewed from inside, this garden room blends seamlessly with the interior. The architects also used stairs with open treads throughout the house to further brighten the space.

“the most impressive feature is the expansive glass element

that forms a balustrade and part of the floor.”

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PROJECT The restoration of an Edwardian semi-detached house in North Kensington by Stiff + Trevillion, sti�andtrevillion.com.

BACKGROUND The house had been divided into two flats for many years and needed a complete renovation. Architects Sti≠ + Trevillion added a rear extension and basement to maximise space for the owner’s growing family. The interiors were designed by London studio Turner Pocock, turnerpocock.co.uk.

KEY FEATURES The unifying feature throughout the house is the distinctive black steel-framed glass windows, doors and internal partitions by Crittall. In the open-plan living space, a structural archway has been widened and glazed panels were inserted at either side, boosting light levels. The glass panel design is echoed by furnishings, including the black-framed mirror and console table, and the set of glass doors in the kitchen beyond. The e≠ect is crisp and clean, but still homely thanks to the pale wooden flooring and the softening e≠ect of the boldly patterned rugs. P

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SPACES EXTENSIONS

“ThE TImbER fRAmE IS SupER INSulATEd, whIlE TRIplE-glAzEd wINdOwS AlSO hElp TO mINImISE ENERgy uSE.”

PROJECT A two-storey side extension designed by Tate Harmer, tateharmer.com, for an Edwardian home in Tunbridge Wells.

BACKGROUND The owners of this Tudor Revival house felt its kitchen and main bedroom needed updating. They also wanted to bring more light into the building, which is in a conservation area and surrounded by trees. Tate Harmer’s solution was to demolish two outbuildings and construct this extension, with angled planes that echo the period architecture. It houses a new kitchen, utility room and bedroom suite.

KEY FEATURES A bridge with a glass floor and banister links the original building to the new first-floor bedroom suite. Its transparency enhances the flow of natural light through the south-facing double-height window at the front of the house and brings it deep into the open-plan kitchen. The dining area at the back of the house was also extended to form a new garden room. The timber frame is super insulated and faced in black Lunawood, a thermally modified timber from Finland, and Tecu Bronze copper-alloy cladding by KME, while triple-glazed windows by Swedish company Hajom also help minimise energy use.P

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PROJECT The refurbishment and extension of a Grade II-listed cottage in Bury St Edmunds, by London architects IF_DO, ifdo.co.

BACKGROUND The remodelling of the ground floor of this cottage, which is in a conservation area, included an 8m-long rear extension with a pitched roof. This not only harmonises with the period architecture but forms an intimate link with the small garden.

KEY FEATURES The simple English oak frame of the 130sq m extension leaves the back wall of the original house visible and creates an open, airy feel. A row of four skylights floods the space with light, while the oak flooring and doorway link the interior with the main structure to give a balanced look. At the garden end, a corner nook by a large window is a cosy place to sit and enjoy the outdoors, whatever the weather.

IN DETAIL Al Scott, co-founder and director of architects IF_DO, describes how the design was approached.What was the brief? To improve the visual and physical connection with the garden, and to bring as much natural light as possible into the house.Why did you choose oak for the frame? It’s a beautiful wood that constantly changes with the light. It also marks a clear departure from the materials of the original house, separating old and new.Can you tell us about the four separate skylights in the roof? We used a series of smaller casements here as we needed windows that could open, and this would not have been easy with a single glass unit. This was particularly crucial as the rear picture window doesn’t open – to achieve the minimal frameless detail, the glass needed to be fixed. What advice would you give to anyone renovating or extending a listed building? Be prepared to embrace the challenges that the historical fabric will present. It’s unlikely that the building, or any alterations to it, will be able to accommodate every aspect of your brief in the way a new-build project might. However, by working with the period character, and with the right architect, you’ll be able to achieve results that will surpass your expectations. P

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PROJECT Renovation of the ground floor of a Victorian house in Chiswick by Paul Archer Design, paularcherdesign.co.uk,creating a cantilevered extension and glazed side return.

BACKGROUND Walls were knocked down to transform dark, impractical rooms into an open-plan living area, kitchen and breakfast bar. Light was gained via a glazed roof and wall at the side and a cantilevered extension with an unusual corner opening; together these give uninterrupted garden views.

KEY FEATURES The house now offers the best of both worlds: the courtyard-style covered space at the side allows the owners to have breakfast or read protected from the elements, while the retractable doors to the garden create a real indoor-outdoor feel. Their asymmetric shape was a response to building rules. “The brief was to create maximum space and light, but planning guidelines restricted the height along the boundary wall, making this more difficult,” says Emil Neumann of Paul Archer Design. “We delivered by designing this sculptural take on the classic side infill.” The interior includes a new supporting pillar that houses an open fireplace to heat the two sitting areas.

“ThIS SCulpTuRAl TAkE ON ThE ClASSIC SIdE INfIll

INCludES AN uNuSuAl CORNER OpENINg.”

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SPACES EXTENSIONS

PROJECT The Study House, a Victorian terraced house in south London, was remodelled by Studio 30 Architects, studio30architects.co.uk, to include a loft studio and rear extension.

BACKGROUND When Clare and Henri Bredenkamp of Studio 30 Architects bought this house, it had been used as a university tutorial space. They made major alterations, preserving what remained of the original features while creating a modern, light-filled interior and a new loft studio where they could work from home.

KEY FEATURES A double-height glass box at the heart of the house o≠ers views of the garden as soon as you enter the building, via a sedum roof that partially covers the lower ground-floor extension. Within this extension, the open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room enjoy views of the sky through a huge section of glass roof. “An extension should never be thought of as an independent entity stuck onto the original property,” says Henri. “The starting point should always be how the two spaces connect.” Here, a tall painted timber staircase was created to link the extension with the original reception room. In the loft studio, a picture window looks out over London and the garden below. “This is not a typical window,” Henri says. “It features large fixed panes of glass set into a hidden frame, and the parts that open are hinged wooden panels. We did this to create a pleasing rhythm to the rear façade.” P

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SPACES EXTENSIONS