Oliver Leech's refurbishment of this two-storey house was born out of the Client's wish to have an open-plan cooking and eating space that connected with the garden.

The existing house lacked natural light and had a long, thin cramped kitchen. One of the main focuses of the proposal was to bring in lots of natural light and to extend and reconfigure the ground floor to create a more user friendly space.

The house was completely gutted and some of the original walls removed. The new kitchen and dining area to the house were created by adding new extensions to the side and rear of the house.

The new side return adds width to the previously narrow kitchen and has pitched rooflights which bring an abundance of light into the dining space beneath it.

The rear extension pushes out a little further into the garden to allow for a built-in bench seat which sits under a large square picture window looking out over the garden. This flexible seating met the client’s request to be able to sit and read in the evening sun, with the doors open or closed.

In order to bring even more light into the space, the height of the extension is maximised and a large frameless rooflight is positioned in the ceiling of the new extension at the junction where it meets the existing structure. The ceiling gently curves up towards the rooflight, drawing diffuse light deep into the plan and the kitchen below it.

The Architect chose materials to complement and respect the existing Victorian house. A muted palette of natural materials with soft tones which work together to provide a consistent and coherent language throughout, creating a calm, cosy atmosphere. White oiled Douglas fir exposed rafters and joinery, sit alongside pale buff bricks which are used internally as well as externally. The buff bricks provide a subtle contrast to the existing London stock bricks.

Elsewhere, the character and the proportions of the original house are preserved, the previously dark and narrow hallway acquires borrowed light from other spaces by exposing the framework structure of the separating wall.