Rear & Side Return Extension
Highbury, Islington
This terraced four-bedroom house, in Highbury, had an existing fully glazed side return extension. The extension was poorly connected to the rest of the house and was hugely overlooked by neighbours.
The clients wanted to rebuild the extension to create a more open plan kitchen and dining room, with better links to the garden and more privacy.
Studio Wolsey proposed to renew the existing side return and construct an additional rear extension, to open-up the back of the house and create a new, light-filled, kitchen / dining area. Skylights to the roof of the new side return allow light to flood in, while reducing overlooking from neighbours.
The beautiful new dark green kitchen is bespoke from Tom Howley, with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances.
To improve the physical and visual links to the garden, we introduced a wide set of French doors and a picture window, by ODC.
The picture window has an integrated window seat and bookshelf, which create a cosy reading nook. The window seat also has built in storage to house yoga equipment.
The new dining area sits in front of the french doors, with a long slot skylight over to introduce further light into the kitchen area behind.
We carefully designed custom joinery throughout the space, to create additional storage.
As well as the window seat, recipe book shelves were integrated into the column which supports the first floor of the house.
A new downstairs WC forms part of the new layout. With beautiful cloud wallpaper and dark blue panelling to the base of the walls, this space reminds the client of their family holidays.
Again bespoke shelving, with integrated LED strip lights, provides additional storage for hand towels and decoration. A concealed cupboard provides storage space for less decorative items, like toilet rolls and cleaning products.
Thanks
Owners - Alli and Iain
Builder - TEC Building Solutions
Structural Engineer - Constant SD
Party Wall Surveyor - Hudson Party Wall Surveyors
Garden Design - Borrowed Earth and Blanche Craig Garden Design
Suppliers
Kitchen - Tom Howley
Window and Doors - ODC
Rooflights - National domelight
Timber flooring - Havwoods
Timber floor installers - Twenty One Twelve
Sanitaryware - West One Bathrooms
Lighting - Corston
The extension was constructed from London stock brick to match the existing house, with a band of dark brickwork to the base, to anchor the extension.
While the builders were on site, they also made a start on new hard landscaping to the garden. A wide set of brick steps lead up from the house to a newly planted garden by Borrowed Earth and Blanche Craig Garden Design.
