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Houzz Tour: A Victorian House in London Gets a Contemporary Makeover
An architect uses his south London home as a testing bed for retrofit technologies, creating an energy-efficient, contemporary space
When architect Rob Wilson took ownership of a dilapidated Victorian house in Clapham, it was an opportunity to play client at his own practice. ‘I was familiar with the area as I used to live across the road,’ he explains. ‘When the property went to market it had been derelict for two years. My practice took on the project and we decided to take the opportunity to implement as many retrofit green technologies as possible.’
One of the unique features Wilson designed and installed is a bespoke tall sash window (visible in the right of the image above), which sits at the rear of the house opposite the front door. ‘The window allows you to walk out of the house, across stepping stones in the pond and into the garden,’ Wilson explains. It also floods the reception rooms with even more light.
Armchairs, Made. Walls painted in Dulux, porcelain.
Armchairs, Made. Walls painted in Dulux, porcelain.
The window functions in a similar way to a pocket door, except vertically. The long, narrow sash (seen here in the centre of the rear wall) slides up through a cavity in the ceiling above and sits against the upstairs window.
‘We reconfigured the layout, moving the stairs from directly ahead of you as you came in, to the back right of the house, behind the dining room,’ says Wilson. ‘This means that you have a full reception room at the front of the house and it feels a lot more open’.
Pocket doors were used to provide an unobtrusive divide between the two rooms when required. ‘Pocket doors disappear,’ says Wilson. ‘These days most people leave their interior doors open anyway, and heat retention isn’t an issue because we have underfloor heating throughout.’
Sofa, Made. Engineered oak floor, Jacobean finish, The Natural Wood Floor Company.
Pocket doors were used to provide an unobtrusive divide between the two rooms when required. ‘Pocket doors disappear,’ says Wilson. ‘These days most people leave their interior doors open anyway, and heat retention isn’t an issue because we have underfloor heating throughout.’
Sofa, Made. Engineered oak floor, Jacobean finish, The Natural Wood Floor Company.
Another clever design trick Wilson used in the living room involved placing mirrors either side of a sash window to create the look of a bay. ‘I’d been wanting to try it for a while,’ he says.
The shelves to the sides of the window house Wilson’s collection of vintage Penguin books. ‘I have even more now than when the photos were taken,’ he says.
The shelves to the sides of the window house Wilson’s collection of vintage Penguin books. ‘I have even more now than when the photos were taken,’ he says.
On the right as you enter the house is a dining area. ‘I wanted the overall scheme of the house to be clean but relaxed’, says Wilson. ‘The downstairs rooms are centred around entertaining, whereas upstairs is more private.’
Walls painted in eicó paints, clay.
Walls painted in eicó paints, clay.
On the ground floor, behind the staircase is a small WC – the first room in the rear extension. ‘We used a resin floor in the cloakroom that has a mass of old European coins set into it,’ says Wilson. ‘The copper theme continues through to the spashback’. The wall-hung basin and vanity unit are by Laufen.
Bespoke floor, Epoxy Resin Suppliers Ltd. Walls painted in Dulux, porcelain.
Bespoke floor, Epoxy Resin Suppliers Ltd. Walls painted in Dulux, porcelain.
While the front of the house was treated as an extension of the original property, with a seamless transition between old and new; at the back of the building, a two-story triple-glazed bay provides contemporary contrast.
‘We used the same tiles inside and out, but with different finishes,’ says Wilson. ‘In the kitchen are Architech tiles in sage with a ‘natural’ finish. Outside we used the ‘bush hammered’ finish for a rougher texture’. The warm-coloured paving and stepping stones either side of the central band are Yorkstone.
Triple glazing system, Lumax.
‘We used the same tiles inside and out, but with different finishes,’ says Wilson. ‘In the kitchen are Architech tiles in sage with a ‘natural’ finish. Outside we used the ‘bush hammered’ finish for a rougher texture’. The warm-coloured paving and stepping stones either side of the central band are Yorkstone.
Triple glazing system, Lumax.
‘The rear two storey extension houses a kitchen at ground level and a bedroom, which I use as a study, on the first floor,’ Wilson explains. Both look out onto a contemporary landscaped garden, complete with fishpond moat and custom-made corten planters.
‘We used powder-coated aluminium doors that slide into a space on the left of the bay, closing off a small corner of the garden while opening up the kitchen,’ says Wilson. The effect is a relaxed indoor-outdoor space.
‘We used powder-coated aluminium doors that slide into a space on the left of the bay, closing off a small corner of the garden while opening up the kitchen,’ says Wilson. The effect is a relaxed indoor-outdoor space.
‘The existing flank and new rear walls were also insulated externally and then rendered,’ says Wilson. ‘As we achieved a very high level of air tightness, we installed a MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) system, which filters the incoming air and preheats it in cold weather. A cooling loop runs through the fishponds, acting in reverse to pre-cool the air in the summer. Solar heating panels supply pre-heated water to a combined tank and boiler. This provides the majority of the hot water demand and powers the underfloor heating’.
The kitchen is a sleek, handleless design in neutral tones, save for a bright turquoise splashback. ‘It’s made of back-painted glass which you can have in any colour,’ explains Wilson.
Kitchen cabinets, Euromobil. Ovens, Neff.
Kitchen cabinets, Euromobil. Ovens, Neff.
What appear as three tall cabinets, are actually two cabinets and a door (on the left) which leads onto a hidden utility room. ‘A friend told me it was his favourite feature in the house,’ Wilson reveals. The secret utility room houses the washing machine and dryer. ‘It’s good to be able to chuck stuff in there and close the door; the kitchen still looks tidy!’.
A lot of thought went into the sculptural staircase, which was built by a joiner on the project. ‘I liked the idea of seeing both sides of the stairs,’ says Wilson. ‘It took some persuading to get me to introduce bold colours – if it had been left to me the whole house would’ve been white – but the bright paint works really well.’
Staircase wall painted in eicó paints, jelly.
Staircase wall painted in eicó paints, jelly.
Wilson and his team looked carefully at every detail of the design to ensure a high quality finish. ‘We spent a lot of time working out which way the wooden floors should run,’ he says. ‘It’s not an enormous house. I wanted to get the maximum number of bedrooms possible, but I didn’t want the staircase to feel cramped or the hall to be too narrow’.
Upstairs in the extension is Wilson’s study. The walls are decorated with prints from his travels, and a pair of IKEA sofas provide relaxed seating. Opaque glass on the corner windows lends privacy without the need for curtains or blinds. There is also an en suite bathroom.
The first floor includes two additional bedrooms and a family bathroom. The colour on the feature wall is Clay, by eicó, an Icelandic eco paint company. ‘It’s so natural you could drink it!,’ laughs Wilson. The shade has been carried through from the dining room, where it was also used.
Engineered oak floor, The Natural Wood Floor Company.
Engineered oak floor, The Natural Wood Floor Company.
In the family bathroom, neutral tiles and white sanitaryware create a soothing environment. The walls and floors are tiled in I Bianchi, Sorrento tiles, which are porcelain but with the look of marble. The double-ended acrylic bath is from Ceramica.
The Cento basin has a subtly textured splashback made of Modestone tiles in white with a barcode mosaic finish. The flat-front towel rail is the Newick model from The Sussex Range.
The Cento basin has a subtly textured splashback made of Modestone tiles in white with a barcode mosaic finish. The flat-front towel rail is the Newick model from The Sussex Range.
The new top floor of the house is given over to the master bedroom and an en suite bathroom. The bedroom space is divided in two by a wooden partition with shelving compartments on one side and a dressing area on the other. ‘The back of the built-in cupboards forms the bedhead,’ explains Wilson.
The dressing room is packed with storage thanks to bespoke wooden cabinetry on one side and a floor-to-ceiling IKEA unit on the other. ‘We tucked it away around the corner,’ says Wilson. An en suite bathroom leads off the dressing area, separated by a pocket door.
The master bathroom has a tactile, masculine quality thanks to dark tile and a cast concrete basin and counter.
Raindance Connect Showerpipe, Hansgrohe. Thermostatic two-way diverter, Totti.
Raindance Connect Showerpipe, Hansgrohe. Thermostatic two-way diverter, Totti.
The outside space is pretty as well as practical, concealing several hidden benefits. ‘Buried beneath the garden, a rainwater tank is connected to an automatic irrigation system,’ explains Wilson. ‘This supplies water to a wild meadow green roof on top of the extension and also waters the front and rear planted beds’.
The abundance of green foliage and private courtyard aspect lend a calm oasis-like feel to this garden in the midst of London.
White outdoor sofa, IKEA.
TELL US…
What is your favourite detail in this surprising Victorian home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
The abundance of green foliage and private courtyard aspect lend a calm oasis-like feel to this garden in the midst of London.
White outdoor sofa, IKEA.
TELL US…
What is your favourite detail in this surprising Victorian home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Who lives here Robert Wilson
Location Clapham Old Town, London
Size 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms; 180 square metres.
Designer Robert Wilson of Granit Chartered Architects
Although you’d be forgiven for assuming the impressive pink-hued façade was entirely original, Wilson and his team actually added a whole additional floor to the property. ‘I originally applied for planning permission for a mansard roof,’ he explains. ‘But the planners preferred the idea of creating a new storey, which would also bring the building nearer in height to the house next door.’
The front of the house was restored to its original pink finish and thermally upgraded with internal insulation. ‘The existing windows were replaced with double-glazed units with heat mirror film sandwiched between the panes,’ says Wilson. ‘This makes the glass equivalent to triple-glazing’.