Spatial extensions

The project involves renovating and extending a Victorian-era house in West London, transforming it with a modern open-plan layout. The design enhances natural light throughout the interior while seamlessly integrating the home with a spacious rear courtyard for improved functionality and flow.

 

Spatial Layout

The common areas of the two-bedroom home are situated on the raised floor, while the private bedroom spaces are located on the ground floor. Lateral spatial extensions and strategic subdivision allow for an expanded living area, optimizing functionality for a growing family.

The existing rear courtyard is excavated and redesigned with terraces, providing the ground-floor bedrooms with direct access to the newly landscaped garden. Similarly, a small pre-existing balcony is transformed into a spacious loft, seamlessly linking the raised floor to the garden. Ceramic cobbles on the ground and a striking red handrail enhance the natural and visual continuity between the roof, garden, and understated courtyard.

 

 

Restoration Approach

The ground floor extension is clad in Accoya wood paneling, offering a sleek, contemporary contrast to the Victorian details of the upper floor. Strategically placed skylights draw natural light deep into the space, while a green roof visually connects the garden to the upper level living areas. Within the interior, the demolition of internal walls and the addition of new structural cladding enable a substantial expansion of the ground floor’s double-height spaces. This transformation creates a seamless, uninterrupted view spanning the entire length of the interior, from front to back.

 

 

Materials & Construction

Some original features of the building, including the fireplaces and roof cornices, are preserved and restored. In other areas, the plastered walls are stripped back to expose the original brickwork. New metal doors and glazed windows enhance the existing architectural elements, adding an industrial touch. The material palette emphasizes raw, elemental qualities, with solid Douglas fir planks on the floors, Carrara marble on the kitchen counters, and pink mosaic tiles in the hallways and new stairwell.

 

Carved out space

A small apartment situated in the historic center of Genoa, “carves out” space in a section of the grand hall of an ancient palace. The compact solution creatively utilizes every opportunity to accommodate the lives of the young owners, finding ample space in the double-height living area, illuminated by three exuberant windows framing close-up views of the domes of San Giorgio and San Torpete. Custom-designed furniture elements also serve multiple functions, helping to define the living space.

 

Existing Condition

The original hall was divided into two apartments, one of which, covers two-thirds of the original surface. Before the renovation, the space consisted of three rooms with large windows and a blind bathroom, with an internal height of 3.3m. A staircase led to an attic with 1.3m ceiling height. The first design gesture was to completely clear the space, demolishing the attic and internal partitions, thus returning to a full interior height of 4.7m. This also reconnected the double row of three windows, one of which had been walled up, overlooking the ancient market square.

 

 

Spatial Layout

The new inhabitants are a communication expert and digital strategist, while the partner is a curator of photography festivals. Hence, they needed ample space to store books, catalogs, and artworks, as well as a place to host friends and work. Considering the existing structure and the clients’ needs, a portion of the attic and partitions opposite the windows facing the square are preserved. Consequently, this “private” part is used for the bedroom, pantry and bathroom.

The entry corridor leads to the large living area, creating a perspective that, through the dining area, directs the visitor’s gaze toward the impressive window that frames the dome of the Church of San Giorgio. The living area at the end of the corridor is spacious and very bright, while the kitchen, complemented by a generous dining area, also serves as a workspace. A wall library, designed with floor-to-ceiling uprights that rhythmically divide the entire wall, houses the kitchen in its lower part. An aluminum track ladder allows access to the higher shelves and facilitates routine window maintenance.

 

 

Custom Structures

The side of the living area through which you enter is defined by a custom-made, multifaceted piece of furniture. This spatial device serves as a staircase to the mezzanine and integrates storage units for the bedroom, an opaline glass screen that brings more light into the bedroom behind it, and a sofa that extends from the first step of the mezzanine stairs. A light white tubular structure accompanies the ascent to the mezzanine, where a desk overlooks the lower living area.

 

 

Material Conservation

The original terrazzo flooring has been retained. Though not particularly ornate, it serves as a testament to the architectural history of the Liguria region. Following the same principle, the decorative stuccoes on the ceiling, dating back to the early 20th century, have also been preserved.