A 1930s House in London Transformed with a Timeless Renovation & Extension

Transforming the brick facade

The core rooms were generously proportioned, yet, in terms of family living, James and Corinne were after more practical spaces. “We didn’t want something that would feel too big for two people once the children grow up,” says James. “We’re also very sociable; there are always people coming through our house, so I wanted a disproportionately large hallway, and lots of room for coats and shoes.”

The L-shaped extension makes the most of sunlight throughout the day, providing a space that centres around sociability, quality and textures

Their planning application was granted without any issues. In fact, James and Corinne even took the opportunity to reduce the massing of the project slightly in a second application, once they’d given more thought to proportions, especially in the roof space and the rear extension.

For James, who is keen on the materiality of things, the specifications of the project were of key importance and nowhere more so than on the exteriors. The same brick specification is used everywhere. The extension features brick, while on the original house they used brick slip cladding thanks to Eurobrick’s X-clad system. Not only is the look in keeping with the area, but the brick slips are fixed to an insulated board, offering significantly better thermal efficiency. As a result, the building’s EPC score has now achieved a C – a radical increase from the property’s previous F rating.

James specified an extra-wide hallway with built-in storage and seating to remove shoes, to ensure a spacious and welcoming entrance for their frequent guests

The brick finish is a textured limewash process – known in Scandinavia as Soekkeskuring – that is mixed by hand. “That was trial and error with the builders,” says James. “We had 10 goes to get the right consistency. It was very bright when it first went on and I thought ‘oh dear’, but it’s now softened, and it looks really good.”

The front of the house also has a new sheltered porch, built using masonry and concrete poured in situ. The redesigned entrance now leads visitors directly to the front door. “I wanted to have places to sit,” says James. “There’s a plinth at the front door, which is solid, and then there are wooden plinths throughout the house. I like the solidity of things that look like they are integral to the house.”

The interior design scheme

Inside the house, the interior design is practical and functional. “I wanted it to be comfortable,” says James. “The biggest thing was we didn’t want people to feel they have to take their shoes off.” As a result, the flooring throughout the ground level is wide-plank laminate. “We didn’t want to be precious about the house and worry about a tail of stiletto marks and kids’ bikes, so real wood is on the walls instead, to compensate,” says James.

The kitchen was designed by James and built by his contractors. The finishes are oak veneer and Dekon

This emphasis on natural materials creates a restful, calming feel to the home, as do the views from every window. There’s lots of aluminium-framed glazing, so people can enjoy the space and the connection to the back garden or to the park at the front.

James even designed the kitchen. Architect Tom drew up the plans and it was built on-site in oak veneer by the builders. The worktops are Dekon, chosen for its robustness. The bathroom is equally organic, with a strikingly deep timber-clad bay window. This is angled away from the neighbour’s extensions, drawing eyes to the trees and enhancing both views and privacy. The master bedrooms and bathrooms both have motorised blinds that run upwards, which provide privacy whilst maintaining views and natural light.

When it came to open-plan living, James spent a lot of time looking at magazines and awards, thinking about how modern family life works

Beneath this, the ground floor extension enjoys sun throughout the day. A lightwell is positioned between the study and a garden-facing seating area, separating work and living while supporting cross-ventilation. “The lightwell was Tom’s idea and it makes such a  difference,” says James.

“Angling doors also breaks up spaces, but not in a regimented way. The shape of the lightwell reflects that of the bay above. It really looks like someone has thought about the relationship between all aspects of the house.” The house now also benefits from a balcony on the top floor. “Nobody has a balcony that high,” says James. “It steps back from the road, but we can see across the park and the streetscapes.”

The spectacular end result

With James’s ruthlessly detailed planning, it is unsurprising that the project went well. Although, having delayed the start of the renovation due to the pandemic, James now wishes he had began the works 10 months earlier, as they had initially planned to do – although that is the benefit of hindsight. “Inflation, labour supply and costs were challenges,” he says. “We knew that we had problems coming, but we were able to navigate them, albeit with a hit to the programme of works. We wanted to keep the focus on quality at the end of the build; however, with interest rates fluctuating, it made for a stressful three months.”

The couple didn’t let any project hurdles get to them and are thrilled with the result. “I enjoyed most of the construction journey,” says James. “Now, I love the flow of the house. In every room, there’s a view and something unique, such as the gigantic doors. There’s space for everyone, but you are never isolated and it’s always reasonably tidy, as there’s so much storage. We put a Christmas tree in the lightwell, and it snowed – I thought, we’re incredibly privileged to be living in a house with our own snow globe! We feel we’ve achieved something special.”