Breakspears House

This substantial family house located in the Brockley Conservation Area was in urgent need of a much improved kitchen and social space for the owners, a family of four with two very active pre-teen daughters with a passion for arts & crafts.

The design for this extension was developed over a period of time which we spent with the family, talking about how their requirements for the space and understanding their interactions, social patterns and interests. Their love for cooking – including the rite of preparation of food and entertaining friends – became a central consideration, together with the need for a generous space where a large table could be located that would be used by the whole family in different activities and moments of the day.

We developed options to open up the space to the large south-east facing rear and side garden to integrate inside and outside and create opportunities for an outdoor lounge. The L shaped sliding and folding doors form a “glazed wall” at the end of the new space. This achieved the vision of a connected, fluid space leading naturally into the garden and makes full use of the spatial qualities of the house. The significant structural solution to support it required some gymnastics to makes best use of the existing fabric avoiding any reduction of the internal space and was developed in conjunction with a specialist consultant.

Large, paired rooflights punched into the flat green roof of the extension are located above an informal lounge area next to the sliding doors, increasing the sense of light and connectivity and providing additional opportunities to use the new space.

Veronica and Il’ic did a fantastic job on our extension project — they brought thoughtful ideas, great value, and a reliable network of trusted experts to the table. Their collaborative and personalised approach made the whole process a pleasure, and the end result is both beautiful and functional. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for inventive, design-led architecture with a personal touch.
Jackie & Matthew