While the programme of works required extensive architectural remodelling, the outward appearance cleverly retains the simplicity, honesty, and charm of the original house. The careful layering of the rear façade; the embracing of vernacular materials and proportions all helped design a sensitive and reassuring response to the Client’s ambitious brief.

Our specialist guidance was sought to provide a MAAPS design solution which would reorganise, reorientate, and maximise the untapped magic of the site. Four key design principles drove our process: to create a sense of largesse; to harmonise the interior with the exterior; to harness the staircase as the home’s core connective thread; and to infuse the house with natural light. The building’s rear elevation was completely demolished, excavated, extended and rebuilt. A basement music studio was added, together with garden kitchen-dining-reception rooms, an expansive Master bedroom suite, and a new attic level. Two-storeys became four.

It’s always fascinating how new projects arrive at our door. Penshurst Gardens came to us via a trusted contractor whose Client had bought a 2-storey North London home in dire need of an overhaul. As initial repair works commenced, the Client soon realised a far more ambitious project was achievable.

The result is a home which effortlessly expands and cascades outwards into the garden. The project perfectly illustrates how deft design can enhance the life and value of a building as a home.