As it pertains to family living, space is always at a premium. There never seems to be enough storage, and every room turns into a multiuse zone. When Jemima Garthwaite, founder of creative agency This Here, went to renovate her growing family’s East London terrace house, these elements were top of mind.

The problem was that there wasn’t a lot of room for expansion in the first place. And, when Jemima’s architect, Louis Hagen Hall, submitted plans for a renovation to the local council, they insisted they be resubmitted with an invisible mansard extension.

“That would have led to a very cramped space in the loft bedroom,” says Louis Hagen Hall, director of Studio Hagen Hall. “So, for the extension, we instead focused closely on the interior architecture, design and detailing to maximize the constrained site for our clients.”

Hagen Hall went about transforming the family home by turning the formerly dark, small rooms into a bright and airy spaces, integrating plenty of clever hidden storage solutions and a high-end natural material palette.

The ground floor plan was retained, while the existing kitchen and living area were lightly refurbished. The upper floor has been opened up to create “an unfolding sequence of rooms,” with a new shared family bathroom and a dressing room that doubles as a home office.

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The new top floor, a primary bedroom with an en suite, has the feel of a private retreat. While the mansard extension is compact, large skylights and windows in the bedroom dissolve the mass of the walls and introduce natural light that makes the space feel expansive. Linen curtains add a soft touch to the room and can be used to filter light.

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A similar approach has been taken in the en suite. A cedar-clad skylight above the shower provides uninterrupted views of the ever-changing sky. “It’s pretty special,” says Jemima. “The semi-circular space is lit from a seamless skylight above and is a sanctuary from the world for just a few minutes every day. It all feels solid yet light, and is beautifully detailed.”

Throughout the home, a sensitive palette of natural materials imbues the interiors with warmth and tactility—think timber joinery, microcement, terracotta tiles, clay render, and emerald green quartzite. These rich materials come together to form an elegantly balanced composition.

Take the precise application of microcement in the two bathrooms, which forms a simple backdrop for the vanity in cedar timber, an elm veneer, and a green quartzite top. In the family bathroom, the stone vanity cleverly frames a timber-clad window seat by the bathtub to create a practical niche for parents to sit while bathing the baby.

To ensure there is a spot for the everyday needs of family life both now and as the couple’s newborn grows up, clever storage solutions have been integrated wherever possible. All the vertical surfaces of the en suite are utilized as cabinets, and the bespoke primary suite has a built-in bookshelf and bedside tables.

“The never-ending secret storage compartments in all of the rooms continue to surprise and delight me,” says Jemima. “There’s a perfect spot for everything, which is genius in such a small house.”

More from Studio Hagen Hall:

A London Townhouse Captures the Glamour of the Hollywood Hills in the ’70s

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Studio Hagen Hall / @studiohagenhall

Interior Designer: Studio Hagen Hall

Clients: Jemima Garthwaite & Nisha Parti

Joinery: Studio Hagen Hall with Tim Gaudin / @timgaudin

Clay/Microcement: Remjo Django Design / @remjodjangofinishes

Contractor: NVB Construction

Photography: Mariell Lind Hansen / @mariell.lindhansen