How a London Couple Literally Raised the Roof of Their Victorian Terrace House

Seeking more space but faced with the high cost and disruption of moving, a family perches a serene, zinc-clad retreat atop their home.

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Mandi Keighran

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Along a quiet street in Islington, North London, rows of near-identical Victorian terrace houses create a dynamic rhythm of redbrick facades, butterfly roofs, and narrow back gardens. Surprisingly, a growing number of these homes have been transformed by the same London architecture practice. Over the past few years, Cooke Fawcett Architects has reimagined about 10 houses along two streets, adapting them to the lives unfolding within. Each one is tailored to its owners rather than the "cookie cutter" approach found all too often in terrace house extensions and loft conversions.

In North London, a couple called on Cooke Fawcett Architects to add a new loft to their redbrick terrace house. The extension is clad in dark zinc—a material choice that is sensitive to the surrounding streetscape, while also immediately signifying the contemporary nature of the addition.

"The decision—choosing to stay rather than move—becomes easier when you consider the financial and emotional implications," explains architect Oliver Cooke. "You’re able to remain where you are, in a community you know, and just reimagine the home around how your family is changing."

The loft extension is arranged over two levels: a lower study and terrace, and an upper primary bedroom and en suite. "The extension has a more traditional mansard form at the front, and a more contemporary, boxy composition at the rear," explains architect Oliver Cooke.

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When Dan and Colette, parents of two teenage daughters, decided they needed more space in the home where they had been living since 2010, they were faced with a choice: move or evolve. "We really like the area, and the kids were settled at school," says Dan. "It just made more sense to build up rather than move." With London’s soaring property prices and stamp duty costs, the economics were also persuasive.

A staircase from the lower level leads directly into the new study, which opens out to a generous roof terrace. Oak joinery wraps the space, offering plenty of built-in storage and other elements, such as the desk and bench seating.

Unsurprisingly, they came across Cooke Fawcett Architects through neighbors. The couple were impressed by an earlier project on their street, in which the studio had added a loft—something that local residents had long assumed would be considered overdevelopment by the local planning authority. Cooke Fawcett’s sensitive approach, however, had been accepted—and it set a new precedent.

A short flight of stairs connects the study and the primary bedroom suite, as does the material palette of natural oak and white walls. "Usually, as you move higher up a building, spaces tend to feel smaller, more compressed, more attic-like," says Cooke. "It’s possible to make that charming, of course, but they wanted to do something very different—they wanted the top of the house to feel like a release."

The couple were no strangers to renovation. During the pandemic, they had extended and remodeled the ground floor of their home, working remotely with an architect and managing most of the project themselves. "We learned the hard way not to manage your own build," recalls Colette. That experience gave them a clear vision for what they wanted for their next project—an actively involved firm that could design a serene, light-filled retreat at the top of their home while also managing the more pragmatic parts of a build—and Cooke Fawcett fit the bill.

The stairs lead up from the existing lower level—which is now entirely occupied by the couple’s two daughters—through the new study, and up to the primary bedroom suite. "You see the same materials recurring throughout the space, creating continuity and warmth," says Cooke. "The joinery is a kind of lining that defines the experience of being on that floor."

The new top floor holds a dedicated bedroom and living space for Dan and Colette that features an en suite bedroom, study, and terrace, all flowing together beneath a sculptural mansard roof clad in dark zinc. "From the beginning, the idea was to create a completely different kind of space," says Cooke. "They wanted it to feel like a discovery at the top of the house, not like a typical loft extension."

A built-in desk and shelving unit crafted in oak make the study a serene place for Dan to work from home. "The joinery is what links the geometry of the mansard and the curved walls," says Cooke. "It makes the space feel sculpted rather than fitted in."

Curved partitions meet the roof’s angular slopes, while large windows and skylights draw daylight deep into the plan. The study opens onto a small terrace that catches the late sun—a deliberate move, as the north-facing garden loses light in the afternoon.

The new bathroom—which was much needed in a family of four with two teenagers—is tucked away behind a curved partition wall and echoes the material palette used throughout the extension.

The interior is defined by a stripped-back palette of natural oak joinery and simple white walls, which heightens the serene atmosphere and the subtly sculptural forms. "Consistency was really important," Cooke explains. "We wanted a feeling of generosity that came from restraint, letting the light and the geometry be the focus."

Creating a connection with the outside was an important part of the brief. "We talked a lot about designing moments where you’d really engage with those views—a window seat where you could sit and read while looking toward the city, or a study that feels connected to the terrace even when it’s not warm enough to be outside," says Cooke. "It became about blurring that boundary between interior and exterior, making the edges of the space somewhere you actively spend time."

From the street, the extension reads as a classic mansard,  stepped roofline defined by a pair of windows—one lighting the bedroom, the other the bathroom. The abundance of windows in the new extension, plus the addition of two skylights, floods the space with natural light. — From the street, the extension reads as a classic mansard, stepped roofline defined by a pair of windows—one lighting the bedroom, the other the bathroom. The abundance of windows in the new extension, plus the addition of two skylights, floods the space with natural light.

The most important features—and the most expensive—are the large windows at the front and the rear of the extension. From the front, the panes frame views across London’s skyline to the Shard, while the back windows capture a slice of the surrounding streetscape. "People who visit are always surprised when they reach the top of the stairs," says Dan. "It’s not what they expect from a loft."

Both Dan and Colette cite the windows and natural light as their favorite element of the extension. "The large windows at the back make such a difference, and the ones at the front are big, too—they open fully, so you can swing them right open and sit on the ledge to look out," says Colette.

Beyond its architectural beauty, the new floor has transformed the dynamics of family life. The couple’s two daughters now have the middle level to themselves, each with a generous bedroom, while their parents have a private, light-filled retreat above. "It’s still the same house," says Colette, "but it works differently now. Everyone has their own space."

Winning approval for the terrace was no small feat. "Others on the street had tried and been refused," says Colette. "We’d originally applied for a bigger extension, with the study projecting over the kitchen. Later, we decided to make the study smaller and add a terrace instead. Ollie argued it was less built form, and that’s why it was approved."

For Cooke Fawcett, it’s this added functionality and amenity to everyday family life that matters most. "Our interest is often in finding small opportunities to make spaces more generous," says Cooke. "Cumulatively, those moves can completely transform how a home feels."