camberwell home
Lighten up A modern extension fusing indoors with outdoors provides the perfect remedy to a cramped, dark kitchen typical of Victorian planning Report and styling: Melinda Tuza Photography: Rachael Smith
kitchens bedrooms & bathrooms
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camberwell home
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ost of us would freely admit that our homes could benefit from a little refinement in one area or another – perhaps the proportions are less than generous or maybe the layout is a little disorderly. Emma and David Smellie, owners of this splendid detached home in Camberwell, found themselves with a similar conundrum. However, for this couple it was the diminutive galley kitchen that marred their home. Suppressed by the adjacent dining room, the room felt gloomy, cramped and impractical, and with a family of five the Smellies craved a spacious, open-plan kitchen-diner that could function as the epicentre of their home. Such was the couple’s disdain for the original kitchen space then, the decision was made to completely reconfigure the rear of the property to amend its structural and spatial shortcomings. Enlisting the expertise of architect Mick Haley of UV Architects, Emma and David looked to create an area that both functioned as a family space and also one that was pleasing to the eye. “Their property is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture, but it fell a long way short of the couple’s expectations as a modern family,” explains Mick. “Like most properties from this period, the kitchen had been tacked onto the back almost as an afterthought. There were just two very small windows and the rear garden was only accessible through a small side door. Subsequently, it was very dark, while the adjacent dining room was completely overwhelmed by their dining table.” Mick began sketching plans that would forgo the galley layout in favour of a large, open space, reassigning a portion of the garden to supplement the new layout, which would be housed within a light-filled extension stretching more than five metres beyond the confines of the original property. As his drawings became reality, the dilapidated lean-to originally housing the kitchen gave way to a cantilevered roof slab, beneath which huge folding glass doors glide around the leading edges to contain a new dining space. When these doors are retracted, the interior is fully exposed to the outdoors over a seamless threshold of wooden flooring. “It was one of our prime objectives to create a dialogue between the house and the garden,” Mick elaborates. “All too often that simply doesn’t exist, especially in houses of this age. However, we were also very mindful about how we would do that. This house is such an impressive example of architecture that it would have been completely inappropriate to add on a pastiche rendition, while a clashing, ultra-contemporary extension was also out of the question. So we opted for something quite simple and understated.” u 100 kitchens bedrooms & bathrooms
Above: The extension was built to create a light-filled, open-plan kitchen-diner, which would function as the epicentre of the family home. A table from Heal’s and chairs from Dwell create a contemporary dining space large enough for the family Below: The run of base units returns at one end to create a small peninsula that not only serves the dining space but also visually divides the work area from the relaxation space Opposite page, top: The roof of the extension is a minimal slab that extends beyond the rear of the property to create a threshold between inside and out. Vast folding glass doors glide around its leading edges to contain the new dining space within Bottom: The wall of storage perfectly serves the dining table, while its look is clean and simple ensuring nothing detracts from the views that surround the room
camberwell home
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camberwell home The completed glass-encased extension infuses the new interior with light and, within a combination of fitted and freestanding furniture placed in a linear arrangement, encourages an effortless transition from work within the kitchen space to rest and relaxation in the dining area. The working kitchen is defined by lacquered base units lining one wall with a return at one end housing a range cooker and another at the opposing end of the space creating a peninsula, which also visually divides the room from the extension beyond. Wall units, meanwhile, are placed at mid-height with lighting above to emphasise the height of the ceilings thus highlighting the elevated proportions of the room rather than its width. Lower level illumination also washes down the walls below the wall units becoming task lighting for food preparation as well as adding ambience by night, while natural light pervades the room through a glazed ceiling panel bringing a sunny aspect by day. A carefully considered palette of light, reflective materials – including stainless steel, jet-black granite and coloured glass – ensures a contemporary edge whilst reflecting light in what is essentially a small space. The kitchen, however, retains a cosy, family-friendly feel as the gentler, organic qualities of buttermilk and Smoked Oak underfoot soften the scheme and enhance the sense of warmth. The oak floor extends to the dining extension, unifying the two areas, and glossy units reappear albeit on a grander scale. Here, they extend from floor to ceiling offering an abundance of storage to clear any clutter from the room. As in the kitchen, glazed units break up the expanse of doors to prevent uniformity and inject points of interest. The ambience in this space is light and bright; its scheme takes inspiration from the garden that surrounds the dining table on all sides offering beautiful panoramic views, which means no further embellishment is required in the room. The only obvious feature is a quirky pendant light that overlooks the table helping to site it in the space and captures the eye to bring your gaze down the room and beyond to the garden. Just as Mick intended, this scheme transcends the boundaries of tradition, yet both kitchen and dining space are perfectly at home within the period architecture. “Stylistically, it’s not a dramatic statement of a definitive period and so I think it sits with the original part of the house quite comfortably,” Mick says. “We’ve simply adapted an older house to create more fluid accommodation for modern life. Now, there is virtually no segregation between the different living areas on the ground floor. The kitchen is not the space it once was. Now, it’s the most social and inviting room in the home, just as Emma KBB and David wanted it to be.” 102 kitchens bedrooms & bathrooms
camberwell home
design Architect UV Architects (020 7490 3387 or www.uvarchitects.co.uk) Building work Benning Construction Limited (020 8590 1599 or www.benningconstruction.com) kitchen cabinetry Magnet (01325 744094 or www.magnet.co.uk) Appliances Fridge-freezer, Liebherr (0844 412 2655 or www.liebherr.co.uk); Dishwasher, AEG-Electrolux (0870 535 0350 or www.aeg-electrolux.co.uk); Extractor, Hotpoint (0870 442 7765 or www.hotpoint.co.uk), all from Magnet, as before sink and tap Magnet, as before Work surface Galaxy black granite, Rock Revelations (0845 351 0415 or www.granite-worktops-solutions.co.uk) Lighting Deltalight UK (0870 757 7087 or www.deltalight.co.uk) Flooring Polished Smoked Oak, Walking on Wood (020 7352 7311 or www.walkingonwood.co.uk) glass skylight GlasSpace (01268 782307 or www.glasspace.com) Folding sliding doors ID Systems (01603 408804 or www.i-d-systems.co.uk) dining table Heal’s (0870 024 0780 or www.heals.co.uk) dining chairs Dwell (0845 675 9090 or www.dwell.co.uk) cOst A similar kitchen would cost around £13,000. A similar extension around £77,000
Above:The dining space is deliberately kept clutter free yet a few carefully selected furnishings create a homely feel Right: The unit at the end of the kitchen run helps to distinguish where the working part of the kitchen begins and ends Opposite page, top: A range cooker in stainless steel presides over the kitchen. Behind it, a sheet of tempered, coloured glass creates a sleek, light-catching splashback. Other appliances such as the dishwasher are neatly concealed behind doors Bottom: Natural and artificial light are essential ingredients in the kitchen design, as are the choice of reflective materials. Downlighters under the wall units wash light towards the granite worktop, which in turn is reflected in glass and stainless steel www.kbbmagazine.com 103