Lustre
West Wimbledon London, SW20
Date
2020-2022
Client
Private
Sector
Homes
Architecture
Full refurb, Rear extension, Loft conversion
Interiors
Kitchen, Joinery & Bathrooms, Curation
We transformed this house in Wimbledon by extending to the rear, replacing a leaking conservatory, & upwards to create a modern 5-bedroom family home. Our clients wanted the new extension to maintain the connection with the garden & the sky, creating a space for entertainment, with cooking taking centre stage.
We conceived of a space nestled into the garden. We designed the deep fins to sculpt the sunlight as it moved through the day, limiting the afternoon glare.
“We chose to work with Ashvin as he came up with the most innovative ideas for our open plan extension and loft conversion. He was a pleasure to work with, always willing to discuss options, and brought our ideas together in a cohesive way.”
― Paulo & Lize
Our client’s brief for the ground floor was to replace the existing conservatory which was prone to overheating in the summer with a light-filled rear extension. We proposed a deep fin roof structure to reduce the glare in the space with solar control glass to reduce overheating. A brick screen allowed for secure ventilation.
The dark-painted kitchen is a counterpoint to the white brick extension, topped with a timber-lined roof, all connected by a concrete floor that also forms the worktop, seating, and steps to the garden.
The clients were keen for well-connected yet intimate spaces, so we designed the ground floor to create a natural flow around the joinery wall with the kitchen at its heart.
A restrained palette of high-quality materials, in concrete, timber & brick, was chosen for their timelessness, longevity & ease of maintenance.
The dark block colour of the kitchen sits in contrast to the bright roof-lit extension. The timber roof cants midway across its width to create a counterpoint between the intimate dining space and the vaulted living space. The modelling of the concrete floor forms the kitchen island, perimeter seating and steps into the garden.
These moves set up long vistas across the house that connected the spaces in this broken plan layout, resulting in a space suitable for modern life.
We used daylight studies to develop the triangulated structure to sculpt the sunlight as it moved across the room. The roof is canted, drawing the reflected afternoon sun into the space. The deep beams minimise the sun’s glare at low angles and support the glazing above.
To achieve the clean lines of the timber roof, we needed the careful design to control the fixing locations & cleat design, without compromising the ease of installation by the General Contractor to keep costs down.
A sculptural staircase snakes from the ground floor to the new loft, which contains two rooms & a bathroom
The joinery wall breaks the plan into 3 zones defining the entrance & hallway from the intimate front room & the open social room to the rear.
Project Team
Structural Engineer: Tisserin Engineers
Photography: Rachael Smith Photography
Suppliers
Specialist Lighting: Variant Office
Concrete flooring: Lazenby
Glazing: Ecovia
Fabrication design: Variant Office
HOMES
If you have a project in mind we’d be very happy to help you bring it to life.
T: 0203 985 1381
241-251 Ferndale Rd
London SW9 8BJ