Northolme Road, Highbury, London
This project comprised a full remodel, refurbishment & extension of a four storey Victorian Townhouse, situated in the in Sotheby Conservation Area, one of Islington’s 41 specially protected neighbourhoods.
Our clients wanted to adapt and extend their property into a well-planned home with good natural light and flow between spaces so as to make this properly suit the way they wanted to live. The house had to suit their current needs as well as being able to accommodate their young and growing family in future years as the way they live adapts.
As well as reconfiguring all floors of the property, the external side return was incorporated into the rear of the ground floor and a further extension was added to the back of the property at this level. Furthermore, the existing lower ground floor was extended to increase the space and provide a better connection to the main house.
The proposed extensions were progressed as a boldly contemporary addition to the main house while referencing and developing the masonry detailing and proliferation of arches which existed in the original house. In so doing, the new elements acknowledge, express and enhance the language of the original late Victorian architecture. The arched motif was carried though the interior of the property through design of interior doors and a new sweeping staircase amongst other work.
On the new rear ground floor elevation, each oversized picture window is formed by two lines of brick headers, one set back from the other to create a rebated framing detail and provide additional relief to the elevation. Both lozenge windows are highlighted with a surrounding, protruding soldier course around the lintel arch which is continued to ground level to form three stack bonded brick pillars. These elements further reference the contrasting arch and jamb detailing to openings to the rear of the existing property.
A contrasting, slate blue engineering brick was used for the new extensions and this was then also used in external and internal floor finishes to ground the new elements and ensure a simple and restrained palette of materials was used through the scheme.