ISLINGTON
We designed the extension and full refurbishment of this Grade II Listed townhouse in Islington, blending contemporary design with timeless materials to create a warm, light-filled home that harmonises original character with modern living.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
This Grade II listed townhouse in Islington spans three storeys – a ground floor, first floor and second floor with a basement. It also had a bathroom installed in the loft, which didn’t make the most of the space and had no window.
The owners wanted an extension into the garden from the basement. The listed status of the building meant that a glass extension was the most obvious choice and would also help bring natural light into the space. The owners also wanted to improve the layout from being one which suited flat sharers to one that would appeal to a family.
With our experience of working on improvements to listed buildings, we were able to freshen up the exterior and interior, and gain consent on very slight alterations to facilitate the extension, successfully creating a structure which not only complemented but enhanced the existing architecture.
We refurbished the existing sash windows, giving them a lick of fresh paint, and switched the front door from red to black. This reflected the monochrome tiles of the front walkway, which we also repaired and refreshed. Some of the fleur de lys railheads were missing so we replaced those and painted the railings. We used a bronze light fitting for the outdoor light in keeping with the bronze accents throughout the interior.
MAKING EVERYTHING FLOW
Originally, the door off the hallway at the bottom of the stairs entered the dining room on the left. We opened up a doorway directly opposite the bottom of the stairs, which felt more intuitive and created a corridor running the length of the basement. To do this we had to remove a corner counter including the cooker, which we then placed along the left-hand wall as you enter the kitchen. This created cleaner lines.
The window at the bottom of the main staircase was turned into a second archway with stairs down into the extension meaning that the living space could be accessed without having to walk round into the kitchen. This also helps to bring in as much light through the basement from the back to the front. Ordinarily, having the staircase opening into the kitchen would require a fire door, but we installed misting heads to satisfy health and safety requirements.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
As very little – if anything – can be removed or even altered in a listed building, we were respectful of the existing features, such as cornicing, maintaining the character but giving the home a modern feel. We chose shades of paint that played to the expansiveness of the ground floor rooms by using the same muted tones across walls, door frames, panelling, and skirting board. The fireplaces were given a new lease of life by replacing ironmongery and hearthstones, while the cabinetry we created across the floors left the original skirting boards behind then intact.
The white oak herringbone floor in the ground floor living room was fitted in the traditional way with a frame around the edge. This helps the floor keep its natural shape through any expansion and contraction, avoiding any warping over time. The herringbone pattern is a motif throughout the home, from the garden patio to the en suite bathroom floor tiles.
We selected contemporary light fixtures that suited the new feel of the home but didn’t detract from the features such as the ceiling roses, but instead created interesting contrasts throughout.
A BATHROOM WITH A VIEW
We were able to install a door from the master bedroom to the ensuite and the previous door to the bathroom from the landing was turned into a storage cupboard using an expert bit of joinery. If the room ever needs to be returned to its original configuration, this can easily be removed. Because the bathroom was particularly spacious, we proposed a curtain rail to screen off the area closest to the master bedroom making it into a dressing room with storage options on both sides.
In the bathroom proper, the shower partition could not reach up to the ceiling in keeping with guidelines for work on listed buildings, so we simply gave the shower space an enclosed wet room feel. The shower’s floor tiles were also fitted in a way that they can easily be lifted and removed if the partition is ever taken down. The top of the shower wall then provided a datum line around the rest of the room, below which we painted white and above, a soft grey. The vertical ribbing on the marble shower tiles gives texture and the illusion of height as well as contrast with the herringbone tiles of the bathroom floor. The large washstand and beautiful free standing bathtub add to the sense that this is a room to luxuriate in, to find some me time, and enjoy the ritual of bathing and dressing.
Bronze fixtures on the windows, bath, shower, and light fittings all bring a warmth and cohesion to the space.
UP ON THE ROOF
Not quite on the roof, but certainly a place that now offers space for contemplation is the compact shower room at the top of the house. Fully refurbished in grey and charcoal, the large roof light can be opened to provide ventilation. Previously the door opened into the room, making it slightly awkward to move around in. Because the door couldn’t open out onto the stairs (for safety) we installed a pivot door that allows the door to be closed by pulling it across.
The dark colour palette provides something of a full stop on the staircase with its black runner and black-painted bannister that spans all four floors of this impressive home.
A BASEMENT TO BE PROUD OF
The basement was not living up to its true potential. There wasn’t enough counter space in the kitchen, the shower room was being used for storage and was damp, and the general flow of the rooms could be improved. By improving the bathrooms on the other floors, we felt the shower room was impractical, and that a WC could easily be placed beneath the stairs where there was currently a storage cupboard. The shower room would then offer space for the washing machine and dryer to be hidden behind cupboard doors. We also installed glass doors that opened onto the lightwell, which was painted white and filled with white gravel to reflect sunlight, brightening up this corner. In the utility cupboard an inner door leads to another storage space where the boiler and fuse box are located.
The kitchen sink was in front of the only window in the kitchen. By placing the sink on a peninsula that also helped delineate the kitchen area, the window could be slightly lowered and enlarged to bring in as much light as possible from the lightwell. This also meant that we created a line of sight from the kitchen window to the archway into the glass extension.
THE GLASS EXTENSION
To ensure that the walls of the extension were in keeping with the rest of the original building, we used bricks from reclaimed stock. These bricks were sliced on the vertical, essentially making tiles, behind which a properly insulated wall was erected to make sure the extension was structurally sound and stayed dry and warm. Because the roof and rear elevation of the extension was glass, we wired a light fitting into the side wall.
The door from the extension into the garden is a pivot door meaning that the point at which it is hinged lines up with the cabinetry we installed along the side wall. We also had to ensure access to a manhole under the wooden floor of the extension so fitted a discreet metal framed access point within the floor.
The exterior of the entire building at the rear was tidied up and given a refresh, from windows to drainpipes.
We were also responsible for planning and listing building content, building regulations, interior design and project management for the build. This included:
Single-storey rear extension and landscaping.
Alterations and redesign to all floors.
Full bespoke kitchen design.
Bespoke joinery design.
W/C and bathroom designs.
Full interior design, lighting design and decorations throughout.