Tufnell Park Road

The brief was to create a light and spacious open plan living, cooking and dining area.

One of the issues in combining these functions is that the space can feel bland and generic while losing the spatial character and material qualities of the original building. The design addresses this by creating three loosely defined ‘rooms’ for each area within the open plan space. The idea was that this would bring variation, structure and fun to the project which is constructed using a distinctive but simple palette of materials.

The timber dining area divides the kitchen from the sitting area, defining the three functional spaces. This is all expressed in Sweet Chestnut with the exposed steelwork and gridded timber ceiling separating it from the existing building. Chestnut was chosen for its colour, grain, structure and because it could be used both inside and outside where it was used to form a projecting window seat linking the extension with the garden. Larch floor boards run throughout each space to bring everything together.

The project demonstrates how timber can be used simply and effectively to add interest, definition and excitement to the smallest and most typical of projects, creating a cosy and liveable contemporary space.