Contemporary Refurbishment Of Wimbledon Terrace House

ARTICLE Penelope Barker IMAGES Anne Schwarz

Located in Wimbledon, London, this unassuming Victorian terrace house has been cleverly refurbished into a unique contemporary residence by Daniel Rowland and Cat Ablitt. Additional rear and roof extensions, seamless skylights, concrete floors, exposed brickwork, a projecting glass box, whitewashed slats and oak ribs have created an enthralling new take on a period house and a bright, light and functional home for the owners, a couple with one young child. 

The entire project took 10 months to complete and included the addition of a rear extension and a side infill extension to accommodate the kitchen, dining and sitting area with views and access into the garden. A loft extension was added also, with a rear roof extension to accommodate the master bedroom and an additional bathroom. All internal walls and floors on the ground level were stripped out and the existing internal layouts completely reconfigured.
“The clients’ desire was to maximise the potential of the existing space, extending where possible,” says Daniel Rowland. “Our objective was to find a balance between a light-filled, ethereal space whilst maintaining a functional, warm and robust environment for a young family. This was achieved by contrasting the lines of the exacting finishes against the textures of the natural variation presented by the timber, concrete and exposed bricks. The resulting space succeeds in creating a modern, clean and practical space whilst maintaining the warmth of a family home.” 

The architects aimed to conserve and reinforce the character of the existing property and surrounding area while allowing the building to accommodate the demands and increased flexibility necessary for a contemporary lifestyle and the desire for the clients to start a family. 
Subtle architectural details abound throughout the home. Seasoned oak ribs to the side return function both structurally and aesthetically, providing a slatted lighting effect over the dining area, while stained ash slatted cladding to the sitting area with built-in seating create zoning by wrapping up and over the ceiling and disappearing into a seamless skylight. A protruding glass box at the rear cantilevers over the garden. The frameless box provides a close connection to the garden when seated in the built-in sitting area and appears, at first glance, not to have glass at all. 

A new room was created by the addition of a mansard roof and extension over the rear roof to create a bedroom and bathroom. Clever use of lighting has been used at the roof ridge and behind the chimney breast to provide subtle illumination to the airy white space. The new bathroom includes a full-width seamless skylight to provide natural light and views of the sky and stars at night while soaking in the bath. By opening up the roof space, the architects were also able to incorporate a new study, where careful placement of another seamless skylight allows additional natural light into the space. 

Flooring throughout is polished concrete at ground level and engineered oak for the loft extension. The sense of space throughout this small but delightful home has been cleverly enhanced by incorporating integral joinery such as the built-in seating area and other built-in storage solutions. 

Once dark and cramped, this narrow terrace home has been utterly transformed into a light-filled, modern and functional home for a growing family.

You may also be interested in how much could cost for a loft conversion or second story addition?

This article by Penelope Barber featured on page 080 in Issue 025 of Renovate Magazine. Renovate Magazine is an easy to use resource providing fresh inspiration and motivation at every turn of the page.

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