From tight, to light. Following a recommendation, Oliver Leech Architects began working for their client, a friend of a friend, with a view to a radical remodelling and extension of a Victorian terraced house in Camberwell, south London.

Radical remodelling, including rear and side extension, to a Victorian terraced house in Camberwell. Exposed brickwork, white-oiled timber and concrete are combined in a celebration of raw, natural materials. The homeowner wanted a new open-plan cooking and eating spaces that faced out onto the garden, with a focus on natural light and materials to create more usable space and a calm atmosphere. The house was stripped back to a shell, extended and internally rebuilt, including new services and better insulation to improve thermal performance. The use of a limited palette of natural materials provides a consistent language throughout the house, creating a coherent relationship between old and new. White oiled Douglas fir was paired with pale buff bricks which has been expressed both externally and internally, as a subtle contrast with the existing London bricks. Volumetrically, the extensions are articulated into two distinct volumes. A side extension with pitched skylights overhead to bring in plenty of north light into the dining space throughout the day. A rear extension projects slightly further into the garden, framing a set of bi-folding doors across a low-height window bench. The bench provides flexible seating that developed from the client’s particular desire to be able to sit and read in the evening sun, whether with the doors open or closed.