Can you reinvent a historic home while staying true to its original character? This question was at the heart of a recent project led by London firm [Y/N] Studio as they approached the renovation of a split-level Victorian in Hackney.

A family’s new extension features a green frame that differentiates the glass structure from the more traditional spaces inside." layout="" credit="Photo by Lorenzo Zandri" photoUserId=""/>

The scope of the project involved improving light and flow on the ground floor of a family’s 1860s home, and creating a more unified relationship between the house and its secluded garden. “From the outset we were challenged to work with the character of the existing house and to create spaces which are timeless but flexible enough to suit a modern lifestyle,” says Alex Smith, founding director of [Y/N].

Smith knew that applying current trends in home extensions, like creating a boxy add-on or whitewashed open floor plan, would not serve the historical character of the house. Instead, Smith, his team, and the homeowners, one of whom is a building conservationist, iterated on design concepts at length “so that ideas could be considered fully.”

Not big fans of open floor plans, the homeowners sought to maintain separate spaces to work, relax, and gather—with the exception of an open kitchen and dining area that would allow for easy flow while entertaining. These days, separating spaces can go against instinct.

“As architects, we have a tendency to want to open spaces up and break down existing ones into larger volumes,” says Smith. “Our brief from the homeowner was to embrace intimacy and contrast, and to blur the lines between the old and the new.”

Now, the refreshed L-shaped kitchen takes advantage of the full width of the house, with a sightline from deep within out to the back garden, recently re-landscaped to promote biodiversity. The garden’s vibrance and texture are echoed in the kitchen, where Smith combined new materials with secondhand ones to create a layered effect. Notably, the reclaimed parquet floor was salvaged from a school gymnasium and the kitchen countertop was formed from 70-percent reclaimed materials, hand-marbled to create distinctive patterning.

Connecting the kitchen with the garden is a steel-and-glass extension resembling a lean-to, complete with a mono-pitched roof that matches the silhouette of the original home. “At the end of the journey you get the glazed dining area, which is heavily influenced by Victorian greenhouses but is clearly a modern intervention,” says Smith.

A departure from the Victorian brick and more traditional interiors, the extension’s frame, which includes a trifold door that opens onto the garden, is painted green. The homeowners felt that while a more neutral color may have been more “marketable” if or when they decide to sell, the bold color did a better job of reflecting their dynamic neighborhood.

But between the reused materials and the new arrangement and extension, the renovation achieves a continuity of its own. “We spent a long time considering the thresholds between spaces to create a sequence of rooms where you can’t quite tell what is original and what has been altered,” says Smith. These new flowing spaces culminate with the extension. “In winter, we dine under the stars,” say the owners. “In summer, we open the doors and create an extended terrace... the whole house is now integrated with the garden.”

Related Reading:

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: [Y/N] Studio / @ynstudioarchitects

Structural Engineer: Webb Yates

Main Contractor: John Goudie

Building Control - Quadrant Approved Inspector

Kitchen: Luckin Kitchens / @luckin_kitchens

Countertops: Granby Workshop / @granbyworkshop

Photography: Lorenzo Zandri / @lorenzozandri