Clifden Road Terrace is a careful reworking of an existing east London terrace house, focused on extending the building’s useful life and capacity.

Originally arranged for domestic life a century ago, the house required thoughtful adaptation to support the everyday realities of a growing family. The brief was clear: find value within the existing structure, improve flexibility, and make the house work harder without unnecessary excess.

Working closely with engaged and proactive clients, the project explored how openness, colour and light could be used to refresh the interior while retaining a sense of familiarity. New spatial connections were introduced to allow the house to function more fluidly across floors, with particular attention given to bringing daylight and garden relationships into the heart of the plan.

The reconfigured layout accommodates contemporary family needs — including additional bathrooms, a generous dine-in kitchen, informal living space, guest accommodation and a calm principal bedroom suite — while remaining rooted in the scale and rhythm of the original house.

External interventions were limited and purposeful: a mansard roof extension with balcony to the upper floor, and a modest ground-floor side extension to support the kitchen. Together, these additions extend the home’s usefulness without altering its character or presence within the street.

The result is a practical, well-resolved conversion that demonstrates how existing buildings can be adapted with care — allowing families to stay put, improve their homes, and make better use of the stock already around us.