TYPE updates London terrace home with robust and timeless materials

Pale brick, clay-fired tiles and ash carpentry were used to bring tactility and warmth to this Victorian terrace house in London, extended by local architecture studio TYPE.

Located in Denmark Hill, the home was expanded for a young family, with a larger kitchen and dining area introduced on the ground floor and an extra bedroom and home office in the attic.

TYPE focused on creating a "sensory richness" for the interiors, with a tactile and natural palette based on the existing materiality of the 19th-century terrace.

"There is intentionally not one dominant element, the project was conceived as a series of modest but meaningful and holistic interventions which together transform daily life," the studio told Dezeen.

"One of the main themes was to create humanistic spaces which have a sensory richness, so the touch, acoustic properties, light, and smell were all important characteristics," it added.

"While being a contemporary space, the material selection relates to the existing construction, which is primarily clay and timber, both of which feature prominently in the extension and refurbishment."

At the back of Denmark Hill, a formerly narrow and dark galley kitchen has been expanded to make space for a dining area, illuminated by a long timber-framed skylight.

A full-height pivot glass door opens this space out onto the garden, with the internal paved flooring extending out to a patio.

Alongside the pivot door is a frameless corner window that projects out into the garden. It features a built-in bench made from ash, matching the carpentry of the kitchen cabinets and island.

For the exterior of the ground-floor extension, two subtly different tones of hand-moulded masonry were used, with a lower datum finished in white brickwork and the upper section in pale cream.

"Tactility, craftsmanship, and a feeling of warmth further inspired the choices of materials and construction," the studio explained.

"It was important to use robust, timeless, and natural materials which would be suitable for the heavy wear and tear of family life," it added.

In the new attic spaces, the walls have also been lined with ash panelling and built-in storage, and the floors finished in cork for acoustic comfort.

Despite its relatively small size, a series of skylights and windows were introduced to provide views of the sky and city through the sloping white-painted ceilings.

"The bedroom includes a large vertical panoramic window which frames views of the city and sky, and rooflight above the shower floods the bathroom with light while giving a feeling of being outside, underneath the sky," said the studio.

TYPE was founded in 2013 by directors Sam Nelson, Tom Powell, Ogi Ristic, and Matt Cooper.

Its previous projects include an extension to a home in Herne Hill and the overhaul of a flat on the Golden Lane Estate.

The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri.

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