Answering the Modern Extension Question

James Rippon James Rippon
St John's Wood Town House, DDWH Architects DDWH Architects Nhà
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St John's Wood has long been known as one of London's most prestigious suburbs, so it's no surprise that a renovation project as wonderful as this belongs to a home in this leafy North London suburb.

The interior layout of London townhouses is typically awkward so, with the help of talented professionals from  DDWH Architects, the owners decided to increase the floor space of their home by extending and opening up the entire ground floor into the generously-sized rear garden. This allowed the previous first-floor living room to become the master bedroom, resulting in a highly desirable, modern-family home.

Let's take a look around!

From the garden

From the rear garden, the sheer size of the new ground floor living area becomes immediately apparent. During spring and summer, our minds begin to wander and we dream of living in spaces like this as soon as the weather allows us to remain outdoors.

The rear wall of the new, full-width extension can be completely drawn, allowing for a breezy and open living area. The new ceilings lights have been smartly placed to lead your eyes all the way to the back garden when entering from the street.

Connected yet defined spaces

When the doors have been pushed wide open, the indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly become one. However, a subtle use of colour and materials still allows for a distinction between the two.

The contrast in the black indoor floorboards and the bright outdoor paving – as well as the bright white walls of the inside and the timber tones in the garden fencing – ensure the spaces are still defined.

Luxurious hardwood

The beauty found in hardwoods is hard to deny so, to fit in with the rest of the refurbishment, this luxurious dark walnut was chosen to connect the ground floor to the upper levels.

It has been designed as a piece of furniture in itself, rather than merely a means of moving from point A to point B. It includes a built-in cloakroom and storage cupboard and is located at the front of the house, visible as soon as you enter from the newly positioned front door.

Open plan living

The same beautiful tones of the walnut line the side of the downstairs living area, adding a touch of nature to the ground floor, along with the addition of indoor plants. The overall quality of every detail of the new home is clearly evident, while other quality fittings, such as underfloor heating and a complete AV home automation system, are a little less obvious. 

No new renovation or refurbishment should be completed without the environment in mind. This is certainly the case in this home, with new solar hot water panels added to the roof, providing around 60% of the hot water requirement for the house.

Subtle luxuries

What was once a cramped living space, the first floor has now become the master bedroom with en suite bathroom. Mood lighting sets the scene for the new bathroom, neatly tucked into the cornices of the false ceiling that houses the walk-in rain shower – the ultimate in modern bathroom luxury.

Here, the colour tones of downstairs have also been used, although this time in a darker, moodier way. The bathroom is dominated by dark tiles in the same colour as the downstairs floorboards, whilst the dark walnut theme is present in the cabinetry. His and hers basins, complete with quality fittings, means the luxury of this bathroom is hard to deny.

Although not in everybody's price range, it is always nice to see what is possible in a townhouse renovation and to see just how open plan a townhouse can be, given their notoriously awkward and dark layouts.

Want more townhouse inspiration? Then don't miss: Expertly Renovating an Edwardian Terrace.

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