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    Whittaker Parsons crowns North London mews house with “bolthole” extension

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    Using a combination of copper, larch and structural insulated panels, architecture firm Whittaker Parsons has added an additional storey to a contemporary mews house in Stoke Newington to house a bedroom suite.

    Originally built in 2005, the property belongs to a couple with two older children, who have lived here for the last decade.
    Whittaker Parsons added an additional storey to a London mews houseThe family asked Whittaker Parsons to provide more space with the addition of a loft, as well as to revamp the lower floors including the studio on the second floor, which was reconfigured to create a well-proportioned workspace complete with its own library.
    Daylight floods the new third storey, bouncing off lime-plastered walls while carefully positioned windows provide views of tree canopies and across rear gardens from window seats and the bespoke bed.
    “We set out to design a beautiful, healthy, serene retreat, in which the homeowners could immerse themselves in the beauty of natural materials, a bolthole in the middle of north London,” Whittaker Parsons told Dezeen.

    The extension is accessed via a larch-clad staircaseWith efficiency and quality in mind, the studio used prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPs) to construct the additional storey, with the aim of minimising waste and saving time.
    “Compared to standard timber construction, it is simpler to control the quality of onsite workmanship and achieve a more robust, air-tight building envelope,” the team explained.
    Generous windows provide views of the surrounding areaExternally, the extension is set back from the street elevation and finished in materials that mirror the surrounding architecture, including black-stained timber cladding, brick slips and patinated copper to tie in with the copper facade on the second floor below.
    Internally, the triangular arrangement of the larch beams was developed to work with the load path of the existing building and the irregular form of the loft.
    “The intention was to make visible and celebrate the structural effort that went into creating this new space,” Whittaker Parsons explained.
    Integrated window seats provide a place to restThe practice created a tranquil master bedroom with a larch-clad and lime-rendered interior, bespoke larch bed frame and walk-in wardrobe made from low-formaldehyde furniture board.
    As the unsealed lime plaster wall finish cures, the lime will absorb almost as much carbon as was emitted in its production, the studio claims.
    “Lime render is a calming tactile material, characterful and soft,” said Whittaker Parsons. “It is a low-carbon alternative to gypsum plaster. It’s also a hygroscopic material, so it naturally moderates the moisture level in the bedroom.”

    Architecture for London uses natural materials to renovate studio founder’s home

    Used alongside the render, white oiled larch panelling spans the spaces between the exposed larch beams, improving acoustic absorption.
    “Often in bedrooms, the ceiling is the most important yet neglected surface,” the studio said. “The larch adds a sense of warmth, calm, and character to the space, creating an articulated ceiling at the top of the house – almost a reward for climbing all those stairs.”
    Whittaker Parsons also created a custom larch-wood bed for the interiorIn the adjoining skylit shower room, fluted travertine tiles line the walls, enveloping the shower area and complementing the travertine floor tiles.
    “The roof light to the shower oversails the fluted travertine tiles, creating the impression that one is showering outside under the sky,” said Whittaker Parsons.
    The basin, splashback and vanity unit are formed from unsealed Calacatta Rosato marble, which according to the studio provides a lower-carbon alternative to fired tiles.
    The vanity in the adjoining bathroom is formed from Calacatta Rosato marbleOverall, Whittaker Parsons says the project is “exceptionally low-carbon”, with the bulk of its embodied emissions coming from the triple glazing, thermal insulation and a single steel beam used to create the opening for the staircase.
    Founded by Matthew Whittaker and Camilla Parsons in 2015, Whittaker Parsons has completed a number of projects in the British capital including The Naked House, which was longlisted for sustainable interior of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards.
    The marble is paired with fluted travertine tilesOther sustainably-minded extensions in London include Low Energy House in Muswell Hill, designed by local studio Architecture for London founder for its founder Ben Ridley.
    The photography is by Jim Stephenson.

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      Studio Hallett Ike expands ER Residence in London with charred larch extension

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      Minimal white living spaces lie behind the blackened timber facade of this extension that Studio Hallett Ike has added to a Victorian flat in north London.The flat, which has been titled ER Residence, occupies the ground floor of a Victorian terrace. Studio Hallett Ike said that, prior to its intervention, the flat had a well-proportioned layout, but unfortunately was only able to accommodate a single bedroom.
      Now, thanks to a rear extension, the flat contains a second bedroom – which doubles up as a study – and a dining room.

      Beams of charred larch clad ER Residence’s extension

      “Essentially we wanted to create a property that would work for a young family living in London that wants an aspirational, clean, minimal design whilst retaining a realistic project budget,” the studio’s co-founder, Madeleine Ike, told Dezeen.
      “The idea being that it could act as a case study for other London residents in the same situation without a huge budget.”

      The extension contains an additional bedroom
      The extension is rectilinear in form and clad with beams of blackened English larch, which were charred by hand on-site.
      “Doing this, rather than painting or staining, allows the texture and grain of the larch to feel very present, and to age and patina over time,” the studio explained.
      “The colour changes depending on the weather and time of year; during the winter months it has silvery hues, but evolves to appear warmer in the summer.”

      A desk in the bedroom offers a place for inhabitants to work
      Two different-sized windows also punctuate the extension’s exterior, which are both framed with aluminium.
      The slightly wider window looks through to the bedroom-cum-study, which has been finished with clean white walls.

      The extension also plays host to a dining room
      A wide panel of Douglas fir wood has been set at the rear of the room, serving as a headboard for the bed. To the side of the room is a three-tier shelving unit and a desk where inhabitants can sit and work.

      Burnt House is a charred wood extension that looks like a Japanese tea house

      The narrower window in the extension offers a view of the dining room.
      Douglas fir has been used here again to create a seating bench – a cut-out in the shape of a cat’s head has been made in the bottom corner, through which the owners’ feline companion can crawl to access a cosy cubby.

      The dining room table is accompanied by a Douglas fir bench
      Studio Hallett Ike has continued the colour and material palette of the extension through to the rest of the home. The updated kitchen, for example, boasts Douglas-fir cabinetry and a white terrazzo splashback.
      Grey terrazzo has then been used to line surfaces in the bathroom.

      Terrazzo appears in the flat’s kitchen, and the bathroom
      Walls in the living area have been coated with a pale grey plaster that stops just beneath the room’s original plaster cornicing. The existing wooden floorboards here were also preserved and sanded down to expose more of their natural grain.
      Black-metal furnishings such as the coffee table and overhead lighting fixture were included to “give weight and depth” to the space.

      Pale grey plaster coats walls in the living room
      “The overarching design approach was to carry out a small number of strong but simple moves that are consistently applied, sitting at the heart of every design consideration,” added the studio.
      “These come together to create an overall impression that is minimal and timeless, exuding an assured and understated elegance.”

      The living room also features the flat’s original wooden floorboards
      Studio Hallet Ike was founded by Madeleine Ike and Jonty Hallett in 2018. The studio’s ER Residence isn’t the only London property to feature a charred-wood extension – Rider Stirland Architects added a blackened timber volume to a house in Ladywell.
      Will Gamble Architects also used scorched wood to create a Japanese tea house-style extension for a home in Fulham.
      Photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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