Houzz Tour: A New Layout Transforms a Victorian Terrace
Reconfiguring this house has given it a new lease of life, while clever design choices have preserved its character
Having bought this house in a leafy area of north London, the owners were looking for an architect to help transform it from a tired property into a spacious, light-filled home. Designer Kate Clare of LOUD Architecture & Interior Design was soon on board to help with the modernisation.
It wasn’t without its challenges, though. The house hadn’t been touched in years and, despite it already having a loft extension, there were rotten windows, damp walls and dark rooms to contend with, as well as kitchen units that were almost falling off the wall. Fortunately, Kate was on hand with a wealth of ideas.
It wasn’t without its challenges, though. The house hadn’t been touched in years and, despite it already having a loft extension, there were rotten windows, damp walls and dark rooms to contend with, as well as kitchen units that were almost falling off the wall. Fortunately, Kate was on hand with a wealth of ideas.
The kitchen sits in the new rear extension and features a large island unit with an integrated breakfast bar. Steel-framed doors open out to the garden beyond.
“The steel doors are a nod to [the local area’s] industrial past, as are other features throughout the house,” Kate says. “The owner has great style and wanted a contemporary twist on traditional. She likes deep blues paired with creams and had her heart set on dark blue Shaker-style cabinetry.
“She also wanted to be able to see her cookbooks, so we fitted open shelving into the island,” Kate adds.
Quartz worktops have the look of marble, but with extra durability.
Kitchen cabinetry, Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch. Worktop, AMG Stone. Brass tap, Perrin & Rowe.
“The steel doors are a nod to [the local area’s] industrial past, as are other features throughout the house,” Kate says. “The owner has great style and wanted a contemporary twist on traditional. She likes deep blues paired with creams and had her heart set on dark blue Shaker-style cabinetry.
“She also wanted to be able to see her cookbooks, so we fitted open shelving into the island,” Kate adds.
Quartz worktops have the look of marble, but with extra durability.
Kitchen cabinetry, Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch. Worktop, AMG Stone. Brass tap, Perrin & Rowe.
There’s no shortage of storage in the room, but it’s the little extras, such as the countertop cabinet designed to hide small appliances, that really make this space special.
The fridge (just seen here on the right) was boxed in, with a cupboard above for pans. To the right of this is a pull-out pantry, from which the owners can easily grab a snack if watching TV in the snug, which sits to the right of the cabinetry up a few stairs (see first photo).
The fridge (just seen here on the right) was boxed in, with a cupboard above for pans. To the right of this is a pull-out pantry, from which the owners can easily grab a snack if watching TV in the snug, which sits to the right of the cabinetry up a few stairs (see first photo).
Outside, the extension has been clad in Japanese charred timber to complement the existing old brick. “Hackney used to be quite an industrial area,” Kate says, “so this material ties in with the location and makes it look as if it could have been here for years. It will weather well, which is important to me.”
Cladding battens were applied by hand, equally spaced out, allowing for an undulating, tactile effect.
Tempted to extend your home? Read reviews of architects in your area.
Cladding battens were applied by hand, equally spaced out, allowing for an undulating, tactile effect.
Tempted to extend your home? Read reviews of architects in your area.
At the front of the house, there’s a double reception area, with a living room and a TV ‘snug’. The living room features a large bay, but also an unusual steel-framed window in the wall adjoining the hall, designed to reflect the scale of the kitchen doors.
“We demolished the structural wall between the hallway and living room and rebuilt it with steel across the top,” Kate says. “A new internal window was installed to add more light into both rooms. We also made sure we took into consideration the height of the owners, so that, when they walk into the house, they’re able to see into the room beyond, rather than being faced with steel bars at eye level.”
Engineered oak flooring, Havwoods.
“We demolished the structural wall between the hallway and living room and rebuilt it with steel across the top,” Kate says. “A new internal window was installed to add more light into both rooms. We also made sure we took into consideration the height of the owners, so that, when they walk into the house, they’re able to see into the room beyond, rather than being faced with steel bars at eye level.”
Engineered oak flooring, Havwoods.
The brief for the décor was ‘relaxed living’, with quality fittings and a considered approach throughout. Kate chose pale, soothing shades for the walls, adding touches of brighter colour with artworks and soft furnishings.
She also reinstated period-style doors. “Oddly, the original doors in the property had been removed and new plywood designs installed instead,” Kate says. “They weren’t in keeping with the age of the house, so we replaced them. That was something that was important to the homeowners – to respect the age of the house.”
She also reinstated period-style doors. “Oddly, the original doors in the property had been removed and new plywood designs installed instead,” Kate says. “They weren’t in keeping with the age of the house, so we replaced them. That was something that was important to the homeowners – to respect the age of the house.”
Open to the living room and with stairs down to the newly extended kitchen, the snug is where the couple go to watch TV. A similar colour palette has created a seamless transition between the two rooms, along with engineered oak flooring throughout.
To create more space in the snug, a fireplace was taken out and a pocket door installed. “We wanted to fit a sofa along the back wall and a hinged door would have blocked that,” Kate says. “We had to put in steelwork to be able to install the door, but it was worth it, as it allows access from the hallway and brings more light into the room.”
Sofa, Soho Home.
To create more space in the snug, a fireplace was taken out and a pocket door installed. “We wanted to fit a sofa along the back wall and a hinged door would have blocked that,” Kate says. “We had to put in steelwork to be able to install the door, but it was worth it, as it allows access from the hallway and brings more light into the room.”
Sofa, Soho Home.
You can see that the focus, when walking the few stairs down into the kitchen, is actually the triangular window above, which was created to reflect the roof line and allow light into the snug without relying on windows from the front or back of the property.
Kate originally designed the downstairs space with a larger hallway, but as it meant scaling down the size of the living room, it was decided to keep to the original layout. A cloakroom was added into the design and the staircase was renovated.
Upstairs, the layout changed from the original five bedrooms to four, with the new design merging one bedroom with the existing bathroom to enable it to become a large, luxurious bathing space. The ceiling was raised and the floor taken out and replaced, with a steel beam put in below to reinforce it.
“It was important to have natural light in the bathroom,” Kate says. “There’s a walk-in shower with a bench seat, a bespoke double vanity unit, a cast-iron roll-top bath and marble tiles. The dark blue furniture colour and soft neutral on the walls echoes the palette downstairs.”
As well as a handy feature, the bench seat in the shower was designed to hide the pipework from the toilet, which is on the other side of the wall.
Marble tiles, Floors of Stone.
“It was important to have natural light in the bathroom,” Kate says. “There’s a walk-in shower with a bench seat, a bespoke double vanity unit, a cast-iron roll-top bath and marble tiles. The dark blue furniture colour and soft neutral on the walls echoes the palette downstairs.”
As well as a handy feature, the bench seat in the shower was designed to hide the pipework from the toilet, which is on the other side of the wall.
Marble tiles, Floors of Stone.
A walk-in shower is a luxurious element that the extra space allowed.
When it came to the main bedroom, the couple requested it resemble a country house hotel, following a stay at The Pig. “We designed the room to have a traditional feel,” Kate says.
Both the bed and curtains feature luxurious fabrics and traditional prints, very much in keeping with the overall aesthetic.
Upholstered bed, Soho Home.
Both the bed and curtains feature luxurious fabrics and traditional prints, very much in keeping with the overall aesthetic.
Upholstered bed, Soho Home.
“We introduced the owners to a joiner with whom they designed the wardrobes,” Kate says. “They’re all in keeping with the period details that reflect the traditional Victorian interior finishes.”
Curtains, Soho Home.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite part of this expanded home? Let us know in the Comments.
Curtains, Soho Home.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite part of this expanded home? Let us know in the Comments.
Who lives here? A young couple
Location Hackney, north London
Property A Victorian terraced house
Size Four bedrooms
Designer Kate Clare of LOUD Architecture & Interior Design
Photos by Chris Snook
Creating a large kitchen-diner that was not only light but also easy to navigate was a priority for the couple.
“We decided we’d extend at the back of the property and to the side to create a large, open-plan space,” Kate says. “We excavated to gain more head height – we were able to [remove] a small amount of the floor without the need to underpin the entire length of the wall, gaining valuable height.”
The neighbours had also extended, so to avoid the side addition being totally overlooked, Kate installed large skylights rather than uninterrupted glazing along the roof. “Not only does it create privacy, but the couple are able to have a pendant light over their dining table, which sits underneath,” Kate says. “This was a great way to save money and speed up delivery times, too, as the windows could be ordered before the roof was finished.”
Dining table; bar stools; cabinet handles, all DeVOL. Lighting, Soho Home.