Harvey Road

The existing Edwardian terraced house is the home of a family with two young children.

The clients wanted to introduce much-needed functional areas and reconfigure the layout in a way that the shared social spaces would face the garden at the rear of the property.

The original open plan was rearranged to form a layout of individual rooms, organised in three distinct zones.

A garden room, which houses the kitchen, dining and play area for the kids, forms the new heart of the house.

The outline of the former envelope can still be experienced through the new load bearing structure which frames three openings: a roof light along the full length of the infill extension, the access door to the garden, and a large rectangular opening with window seating - corresponding with the depth of the former bay window.

The room idea is strengthened by designing the larger opening as a dwelling space rather than a passage way.

The refurbished drawing room is reinstated to its former footprint, serving as an independent room for the parents, while new ancillary spaces are grouped in a functional cluster at the centre of the house.

The architectural language forms a calm framework that comes to life once inhabited by the young family.