A radical home behind
an Edwardian façade

Starting with a two-storey Edwardian brick house in a residential area our task was to provide a family home for the next 20 years. Our client was keen the house should be unlike the usual ‘boring’ London conversion – music to the ears of an architect!

Our approach was radical and because the building was in a conservation area, the local authority planning department needed a fair degree of persuasion before planning approval was granted. The front of the house needed to remain in keeping, but inside and to the rear, we had gained permission to experiment. We removed just about everything, apart from the front and side walls, to open the house up to light and space to create a very contemporary but practical home.

We rebuilt the back extension and installed wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows that open on to the limestone terrace and the walled garden beyond. The upper floor was inserted into the attic to provide a master bedroom suite and study. Colours throughout the house are muted, with the occasional splash of brightness. Skylights and slits in the stair wall allow light into the middle of the house.

We recently revisited this property, to upgrade - primarily the services - including ventilation, lighting, heating and drainage, utilising technology and services that had made significant leaps forward since the building was first remodelled. We updated the bathrooms and kitchen appliances and also converted one of the bedrooms into a media room.

Fiona understood us and that we were building a home and not a project. She is extremely empathetic, creative, professional and easygoing – a special person who has become a friend

— Client
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Architects
McLean Quinlan
Interior Design
McLean Quinlan
Structural Engineer
Frank Van Loock Associates
QS
Baillie Knowles Partnership
M&E
En Masse Design
Contractor
Blake Builders
Photography
Peter Cook