CASE STUDY


BEYOND THE LOOKING GLASS


Al and Lily Chen’s renovated and extended Edwardian home is a masterclass in space and light.


TEXT ALEXANDRA PRATT IMAGES WILLIAM TOZER ASSOCIATES “W


e were looking for a family home with potential for expansion,” explains Lily Chen, who has two


young children with her husband, Al. “We bought this home in 2019 because we loved its Edwardian character and it offered plenty of space for our children to play.” Set in a conservation area in Wandsworth, this end-terrace home is typical for the area, offering charm, space and that most highly prized home feature; a garden in London. While the home’s vitals set their hearts racing, the condition of the building did not. “It hadn’t been touched in 30 years,” recalls Lily. “The kitchen was small and the bedrooms were cramped. The loft and the basement were not usable. We also wanted to improve the energy efi ciency o the oety The couple’s solution was a comprehensive


refurbishment of the entire building. Al and Lily also took this opportunity to extend it, so that key areas are a more appropriate size for family life. These additions included making the basement a functional space, adding a small dormer extension to the loft and a more signifi cant gound  oo etension hich oes a spacious kitchen and dining room. Most strikingly, this space also incorporates an internal courtyard that adds green space and fresh air all year round.


“Having a full-width extension produced its own challenges, such as how to get natural light and ventilation to other areas. The solution was a new courtyard,” says architect Adoracion Marco Vidal of William Tozer Associates, who admits the concept is somewhat counterintuitive when square footage is at such a premium, but “it brings natural light deep into the plan.” This injection of light and air meant that further out into the extension, the architects were able to make the extension higher, rather than have a loe oo ine along the entie addition without a courtyard. William Tozer Associates is an award-winning


14


“We wanted a modern, functional family home that retained some of the property’s original character.”


London-based architecture practice that was recommended to Lily and Al by friends. “We chose William Tozer Associates because of their reputation for high-quality minimal design and their experience with similar projects,” explains Lily. “We’ve been extremely happy with their work; they were professional, knowledgeable and always willing to listen to our ideas.” Those ideas were expressed in the brief the couple gave to the practice. “We wanted a modern, functional family home that retained some of the property’s original character,” says Lily. “The plan evolved through a collaborative process, with both us and the architect contributing ideas. The intriguing use of light and e ection as a oint idea nsiational use o light is the defi ning eatue of the project and is more than the single internal courtyard; it is consistent throughout the home. All four levels are organised around straight lines and spaces that simultaneously divide and connect, conceal and reveal. For eale sliding ocket doos fi eated as is required in all homes with more than two storeys) can either disappear into a wall or fully enclose rooms, such as in the loft extension. Here, an open living room can be converted into a private bedroom, closed off from the landing by pocket doors that form a partition. The wall


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52