A charming London cottage, with a graceful extension, inspired by the clients' relationship with their garden. A key design driver for this project was the clients’ cherished allotment within their garden. A covered outdoor seating space provides a spot for them to rest, to contemplate, and to place produce. Beneath the bench, a rainwater harvesting tank is fed from the roofs, and planted alongside is a selection of calming, scented plants. Together, these aspects of the design are a highly personal reflection of the people who live here and the way they live their lives.
With one of the clients a stone mason, it was natural to use stone for the plinth that grounds the extension. Above, oak panelling, steel windows and a continuation of the existing cottage’s lead roof have combined to create a hand-made extension with a satisfying depth of character.
Inside, the cottage is conceived as four distinct spaces, each with its own purpose. These are tied together by a central hearth and flow into one another, resulting in a way of living which can be relaxed or, at other times, more formal.
Facing the garden – the source of so much home-grown produce – are the dining and kitchen areas. A top-lit pantry off the kitchen provides plenty of storage for food, and, on the kitchen side, space for cookbooks and crockery speaks of the clients’ love of cooking. Their relationship with the garden is clearly expressed in the extension’s façade. Formed of stone and oak, it is both robust and human in its scale and tactility. Since eating is as much an outdoor as an indoor activity, the inbuilt bench in the dining space is mirrored by the exterior bench, with the two linked by a seat facing onto the doorway, perfect for putting on wellies or placing vegetables.
The extension’s ground structure is made of reduced carbon concrete to lower the project’s carbon footprint, and, in a conscious effort to reduce the use of steel, the extension has been given a timber frame. Materials, including paving and a stone worktop, have been salvaged from the house pre-stripout and re-used in the new design. Adding solar panels on the roof has enabled the house to produce some of its own power, and the extension’s highly insulated envelope, together with additional insulation to the loft, walls and floor of the existing house, has much improved the overall energy efficiency of the cottage.
A rainwater pipe integral to the extension’s facade takes harvested water to the tank beneath and ensures only rainwater is used for watering vegetables. The plentiful supply of free water also future-proofs against predicted warmer summers, reducing overall water consumption and adding to the home’s green credentials.
