A glossy black marble wall divides the glass facade of this extension to a 19th-century townhouse in north London by regional architecture workplace Paul Archer Layout .
The 5-storey property is situated within a conservation spot in Islington, north London. As nicely as including an extension, Paul Archer Design and style has completely remodelled the interior to create a family home a lot more suited to 21st-century living.
The clients’ short referred to as for open spaces with lines of sight among the numerous rooms and a minimal aesthetic facilitated by plenty of created-in storage and a neutral colour palette.
“They needed a really modern design with easy lines but also wished it to be a household property that is effortless to use and not some kind of showpiece constructing,” undertaking architect Emil Neumann advised Dezeen.
The enhanced connection amongst the rooms is specifically evident on the ground floor, in which a reception space adjoins the new kitchen. The glass-walled extension is just past, housing a dining room and a playroom.
A black marble wall stands amongst these two spaces, complementing the dark frames of the sliding glass doors. The intention was to reference the luxurious interiors created by Modernist-era architects.
“The column was a quite early element of the design and style and was constantly intended to be a stunning stone, in the tradition of Mies van der Rohe or Adolf Loos,” stated Neumann.
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“A light marble stone would have been quite, so in the finish black marble was the perfect selection. It becomes an object that stands out, nearly mesmerising, and defines the room from the inside and outside.”
The level of the dining area matches that of a reconfigured patio, enabling a smooth transition between indoor and outdoor spaces paved with the same concrete slabs.
According to Neumann, connecting the rooms at the front and rear of the home optimises the dimensions of the strategy whilst retaining the building’s authentic character.
“The challenge when you change the proportions of rooms is to make the new spaces search sympathetic to the primary residence and not out of area,” he pointed out.
“The ground floor now has a very generous truly feel which can be very tough to attain in a narrow London home.”
Numerous of London’s Victorian houses have been rearranged and extended to accommodate today’s residing habits. In the identical location, Architecture for London used stainless steel surfaces and a polished concrete floor for a equivalent ground-floor extension, even though Mikhail Riches additional a glazed kitchen and dining space to one more a 19th-century residence in the course of its renovation.
At this residence, a skylight over the kitchen brings light into this space, while the perform area is flanked by a window searching out at a planted bed.
Front and rear receptions on the very first floor were connected to create an open-prepare living region, comprising a sitting room and library with a restored marble fireplace and a Television-viewing space at the rear.
Two bedrooms and a bathroom are accommodated on the second floor, although a previously uninhabitable basement level was structurally renovated to home an added bedroom and a utilities region.
The master bedroom suite is situated in a 1980s loft extension at the prime of the property, which the architects gutted prior to incorporating a central piece of furnishings that divides the sleeping region from the en-suite bathroom.
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Fitted cabinetry used in this room and during the interior aids to accomplish the clean and clutter-cost-free setting the consumers requested.
Supplies were chosen to produce a constantly neutral and calming interior. Broad oak floorboards taken care of with a white oil and walls painted in shades of white give the spaces a light and serene really feel.
“The clientele wanted a clean aesthetic but were anxious it may well seem too clinical, so we used a palette of extremely light colors and materials like the white-washed floors and marble to tie in with that,” Neumann extra.
Unique details had been retained wherever attainable, which includes the cornicing in the 1st-floor reception space and all of the doors and window shutters.
New additions complement the heritage really feel of the interior or restore present attributes, this kind of as the marble fireplace.
Photography is by Nick Guttridge.
Ground floor prepare 
Initial floor prepare 
2nd floor program 
Third floor plan 
Segment Dezeen
