House on the Heath: A New Zealand Family Transformed Edwardian Home In London

 Location: London Borough of Wandsworth & Richmond, SW15

Architects: COX ARCHITECTS

Principal architect: Steve Cox

Design team: Steve Cox, Soroush Haghighat, Francesca Savanco

Photo credit: Matt Clayton Photography

The project House on the Heath included the remodelling of a 775 sq ft (72 sq m) brick extension in a leafy South London Conservation Area.

This north facing extension needed a new look including some very large skylights to brighten the corners and connect it firmly with the large rear garden.

Cox Architects:

"Our previous clients Katherine & James (SLOT_HOUSE) contacted us at the height of the pandemic in 2020 when they were thinking of buying a larger house in a leafy south-London suburb which could offer them more space and a generous rear garden.

The only problem was that the garden was north facing and, as light-loving New Zealanders, they were worried that the house would be too dark.

We were able to reassure them that with the right design we could ensure lots of natural light to the interior whilst improving the visual connection between house and garden.

COX ARCHITECTS: "The sun is shining, the water is running, the plants are growing, the spring is blooming... what else can we ask for?"

Budget dictated a facelift of the existing structure rather than a rebuild so the design is a sort stage-set behind which a lot of the original building still sits."

Before:

The original Edwardian house, located in a leafy South London Conservation Area, already had a rear brick addition, however, it was not bright enough on the interior for the current owners.