Tile House

The plan delivers ‘served’ and ‘service’ spaces in an innovative way, answering the clients need for additional living space (they have two teenage sons that control the living room!), utility space, WC and a high quality kitchen and dining space orientated towards the garden, all within a modest additional footprint of 10m2.

A new vista is created through the house to the garden from the entrance space, creating a sense light and depth in the house, and a newly articulated timber clad storage hub at the heart of the plan redefines the spaces around it. Delight is introduced with thoughtful materiality. Two 3D brick decorative tiles, one ‘silk’ finished for outside and ‘rough’ finished for the interior, are set out in an alternating stack bonded motif to create a rhythmic elevation of shadow and texture.

A modern custom kitchen, designed by Proctor & Shaw, is crisply executed in flush white panels, bespoke oak handles and oak veneered cabinetry. An L-shaped custom roof light above, with glass to glass corner, permeates daylight deep in to the plan. A rectangular porcelain floor tile, with underfloor heating, is laid out to echo the linearity of the laminated timber construction above. Integrated lighting highlights the materiality and geometry of the structure.

The construction was designed to reduce economic and environmental impact. Major structural work to the original footprint was avoided ‘dressing’ existing walls with timber panelling and crafted joinery to define space and maximise function. An innovative glue-laminated spruce plywood construction was designed for the extension roof. This removed the need for structural steelwork, brings warmth to the interior space, but most importantly tests an environmentally sustainable approach to small scale domestic construction projects.

Photography by Megan Taylor