Photo of a white classic two floor detached house in Surrey with a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a red roof.

Ground floor extension and loft conversion of a detached house in Barnet, North London. A rear courtyard within the extension emphasizes the central axis of the house, aligned with the staircase, creating a strong visual connection from front to back. Three new zinc-clad dormers — the central one visually linked to the lower floors through continuous zinc detailing around the windows — bring a contemporary, light touch to the 100-year-old home.

Black Timber House is an award-winning eco home set within the South Downs National Park. Designed with sustainability in mind, it features locally sourced materials, passive energy strategies, and striking charred English larch cladding using the Yakisugi method. The house consists of two stacked volumes, creating dramatic overhangs and a sheltered veranda. Large picture windows frame views of rolling meadows, while a vaulted first floor reaches into the tree canopy. With a handcrafted kitchen made from surplus oak flooring and a zinc worktop, the home blends contemporary design with natural textures, ensuring harmony with its rural surroundings.

Design ideas for a red contemporary brick detached house in London with three floors, a pitched roof, a metal roof and a grey roof.

Like many 1920s houses, this double-fronted home in Muswell Hill had been extended haphazardly over the years, preventing any natural flow and blocking light from a large part of the footprint. Our clients wanted more space – and better space – for their family. Our first move was to unlock the ground floor by clearing two sight lines. One leads straight through the house from the front door to the bottom of the garden, and the second looks up – with the help of a new galleried staircase – though the upper storeys to the sky. Inspired by Horace Gifford’s airy east-coast beach houses, we allowed the extended open-plan living areas to link and overlap, giving room to circulate without compromising on space. We’d already set out these core moves when our clients asked us to push the project further. Could we add a basement too? Our response was to challenge them back: what exactly would they use the space for, and how would the extra area justify the considerable expense? Having tested a few different scenarios we all agreed that this was a great opportunity to embed social sustainability into the design. We could future-proof the house so Nicola and Stanford, and their extended family, can continue to live in it indefinitely no matter how their lifestyle might change. The new basement, although it’s currently used as a gym, screening room and bar, can potentially become a self-contained apartment in the future, allowing multiple generations to live under the same roof. It has its own bathroom and, via a sunken courtyard garden sandwiched between the original house and timber-framed extension, outside space and plenty of natural light. And, as the couple’s sons gain more independence, a pair of self-contained bedrooms inserted into the second-floor loft space offer a similar degree of privacy.

View from Garden at rear of property in Dulwich. Extensions at ground and first floor, Zinc Dormers on second floor with large windows
Inspiration for a large contemporary brick and rear semi-detached house in London with a pitched roof, a metal roof and a grey roof.

Design ideas for a beige classic two floor detached house in Essex with stone cladding, a pitched roof and a grey roof.

This is an example of a beige traditional two floor detached house in Devon with stone cladding, a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.

Photo of a red classic two floor brick detached house in Other with a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a black roof.

This is an example of a yellow traditional brick and front house exterior in London with three floors, a pitched roof, a tiled roof and a brown roof.

Sussex waterfront contemporary. This amazing contemporary family home is located on the waterfront in an area of outstanding natural beauty overlooking the harbour. The design has developed as a response to the location and to take advantage of views over the sea, countryside, and adjoining meadows. Every element of the architecture and interiors has been considered to maximise both form and function – beautiful contemporary design and practicality tailored to the client’s aesthetic sensibilities and lifestyle. The home features the use of Danish brick, cedar timber and a zinc roof all in a natural palette of materials on the exterior and neutral design scheme on the interiors using sustainable and natural materials. The gardens have been designed to maximise the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces and include wildflower meadows, and soft and hard landscaping. A fabric first approach to sustainability has been used and the design allows for natural light to penetrate the building while considering shading and thermal gain. The interiors have been developed around functionality while employing a clean modern design and the use of warm natural materials. A true dream home with dream clients!

Inspiration for a brown traditional two floor detached house in Other with stone cladding, a pitched roof, a tiled roof and a red roof.

Aluminium Bi-Folding Doors in an Exeter new build
This is an example of a brown contemporary two floor detached house in Devon with a pitched roof and mixed cladding.

This is an example of a red contemporary two floor detached house in Kent with mixed cladding, a pitched roof, a shingle roof and a red roof.

Design ideas for a large farmhouse two floor front extension in Sussex with wood cladding, a pitched roof, a tiled roof, a red roof and board and batten cladding.

Photo of a beige contemporary two floor detached house in Sydney with wood cladding and a pitched roof.

Large and white contemporary two floor render detached house in Cologne with a pitched roof, a metal roof and a grey roof.

Fotos: Lioba Schneider Architekturfotografie I Architekt: falke architekten köln
Photo of a medium sized and white render detached house in Cologne with three floors and a pitched roof.

Hood House is a playful protector that respects the heritage character of Carlton North whilst celebrating purposeful change. It is a luxurious yet compact and hyper-functional home defined by an exploration of contrast: it is ornamental and restrained, subdued and lively, stately and casual, compartmental and open. For us, it is also a project with an unusual history. This dual-natured renovation evolved through the ownership of two separate clients. Originally intended to accommodate the needs of a young family of four, we shifted gears at the eleventh hour and adapted a thoroughly resolved design solution to the needs of only two. From a young, nuclear family to a blended adult one, our design solution was put to a test of flexibility. The result is a subtle renovation almost invisible from the street yet dramatic in its expressive qualities. An oblique view from the northwest reveals the playful zigzag of the new roof, the rippling metal hood. This is a form-making exercise that connects old to new as well as establishing spatial drama in what might otherwise have been utilitarian rooms upstairs. A simple palette of Australian hardwood timbers and white surfaces are complimented by tactile splashes of brass and rich moments of colour that reveal themselves from behind closed doors. Our internal joke is that Hood House is like Lazarus, risen from the ashes. We’re grateful that almost six years of hard work have culminated in this beautiful, protective and playful house, and so pleased that Glenda and Alistair get to call it home.