Project: Equestrian Road
Architects: Sketch Architects
location: London, UK
Area: 645 sf
photos by: Adam Scott
Equestrian Road designed by Sketch Architects
The Chevalry Road project by Sketch Architects is a renovation of an old house located in South West London. With 645 sq ft of living space, the spaces have been lightened and extended with a rear extension opening onto the garden.
Sketch Architects have renovated a terraced house in South West London by adding a bright and spacious rear extension with a large glass door that extends out to the garden and a usable and playful basement room.
All renovations aim to improve the lives of those who live within and this project aims to create a more livable and usable space for a growing family.
The brief submitted to Sketch Architects requested an increase in the space available within this tiny terraced home. The existing building had already been extended with partial side returns, but each space was too separate from the next and the layout was not suitable for the young family living there. Every little space felt disconnected from the next. They asked Sketch Architects to investigate options that created a greater sense of space, using and augmenting the existing basement, while maintaining a connection to the rest of the ground floor.
To achieve this, Sketch Architects introduced a double-height space in the center of the house, relocating the staircase to allow light to enter from a new glass roof at the rear, with additional glass walk-throughs in front of the house. Lower floors often feel dark and isolated but they instill a sense of light and connection, creating an inviting space that connects with the rest of the home. The kitchen floor at the rear or property has been lowered to enhance flow to the garden and increase sight lines downstairs. Finally, an exposed brick wall covers the entire double height space extending to the rear of the property giving further continuity to the design.
Exposed steel allowed Sketch to remove several interior walls, maximizing sightlines diagonally from front to back with cleverly placed pocket doors allowing spaces to be subdivided where necessary. The front reception room has been remodeled to its original proportions but with a full height glass wall overlooking a double height space maintaining a connection with the rest of the house.
Reconfiguring the stairs allowed Sketch to create a range of clever and innovative storage ideas, maximizing space utilization. The lobby now seems wider and less crowded despite the challenges of family life. Throughout the home they have used a number of natural materials; Exposed brick, painted steel, glass and wood. In the kitchen and downstairs, they created storage using birch plywood, and upstairs added desk space on the landing continuing the use of plywood for the desk built into the eaves with large ceiling lights above.
Sketch Architects is a young architectural practice based in London. They have numerous projects across London as well as many others located across the country, including in Lymington, Farnham, Sevenoaks, Cleethorpes and Exeter. They specialize in residential architecture, working on new home construction, custom extensions and complete property renovations.
– Sketch Architects
