The entirety of a terraced Victorian property in Stoke Newington was redesigned and extended, keeping only the building’s bare tectonic skeleton, due to the lack of structural integrity. The length of the floorplan meant that there was a need for natural light to reach the middle part of the house, thus the idea was born to retain a part of the rear garden as a courtyard that would sit amongst the functional layout of the space and provide not only light, but also vital cross ventilation and visual connection.
Architecture: Yellow Cloud Studio
Interior Design: Yellow Cloud Studio
Project Management: Yellow Cloud Studio
Sourcing: Yellow Cloud Studio
Structural Engineer: Buzhala Associates
Building Control: PWC
Construction: Self–Build with the support of various subcontractors
Windows + Doors: Rimi Renovations
Courtyard Tree: GRDN
Joinery: Yony Design
Terrazzo Flooring: KOTE London
Photography + Text: Yellow Cloud Studio
A Japanese cloud tree occupies the courtyard, which is framed by a 3.7m long fixed glass, creating a dominant focal point in the space. A large pivot window and a glazed door connect the front of the house to the rear through the courtyard, and on a summer day sounds and smells can travel through the entire house together with the breeze.
The rear part of the house is extended to fit a large kitchen and dining area, with generous circulation space and a seating area where the rear garden views can be enjoyed. Oak doors fold to one side and the internal area blends with the outside, inviting the user to experience the space as a continuation of the garden. Part of the rear façade comes out, forming a covered pergola and a concrete seating area is sunken a few steps lower, in order to allow for unobstructed garden views from inside. A large skylight provides wide sky views and allows for abundant amounts of natural light to flood the space. The kitchen is treated as a discreet, unassertive element, with black materiality and minimal flat surfaces acting as a backdrop to the monolithic marble island. Oak storage units give a vertical sequence to the space while in other areas act as visual dividers, concealing the more functional parts of the kitchen.
A bespoke oak staircase leads up the four extra levels of the house and as the building develops upwards, the space becomes more focused on the adults. The atmospheric dressing room on the third level has been intentionally designed with darker tonality, exposing the roof void and cladding it in red pigmented panels to create a dramatic geometric experience of height and using curves and fluted glass to signify a more intimate and feminine space.
The architecture of the added top floor focused on creating a serene, bright and private space for the master bedroom suite. An almost floor to ceiling fixed window is installed to frame the lush and long view, with only an opening side panel for ventilation. The bathroom suite is deconstructed and consciously placed in key locations of the layout to amplify the experience of each element. A bespoke piece of monolithic marble hides the basins, which are designed to have the beautiful view as their backdrop. A storage unit acts as the focal point and two fluted glass sliding doors are designed to disappear inside the unit, giving a sense of symmetry when closed.
Behind one of them is the entrance to the room and behind the other is a shower that sits suspended above the staircase. Both sides are treated with the same materiality in order to give the visual impression of belonging to the same continuous space, while a large skylight spans the whole length above. When opened, the doors disappear and ample light floods into the bedroom, again playing with the user’s perception of outside space, accentuated by the added element of a long, linear planter for vegetation under ideal lighting conditions. The WC is discreetly hidden in the wrap around timber panelling and therefore escaping the user’s attention.
Materiality is key to visually navigate the space, with softer tactile surfaces meeting harder, more durable elements and vertical lines adding height and elegance to the room.
The architecture of this project seeks to provide a unique user experience, with a methodical layout that makes navigating through spaces seamless, sensory and pleasant. Fresh, bright new spaces are created, using natural light as a core element and exterior views as a constant focal point of reference. Materiality has been meticulously chosen in order to elevate the concept and to connect all spaces with subtle references through repeating elements and visual lines.
