After a decade of living in their 1930s home in North London, Fran and Dave decided it was time to expand the space to better meet the needs of themselves and their three young boys. So the couple engaged Simon Knight Architects to create an extension with an open-plan kitchen and dining area, and, for Dave, a DJ booth and a separate room for his private psychotherapy practice.

“Fran and Dave were interested in a contemporary space with lots of light and volume,” says architect Simon Knight of the overall brief. To achieve this on a modest budget, Knight designed the extension with a vaulted timber roof. “Rather than being a single-story box, the extension becomes something a bit more special and spacious,” continues Knight.

In the DJ booth, one wall is covered with Ikea shelving units." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

To make room for the renovation, Knight knocked down a garage along the side of the house that had really only been used for some storage. This allowed him to extend the plan to the edge of the site and maximize space.

The home now features two entry points: a door to the therapy room, and the front door, which leads to a refurbished hallway that opens into the home’s existing dining room and formal living room. Since these areas were already generously sized and provided separation for the family, Fran and Dave were happy to leave them be. There is also an internal door to the therapy room to the left of the hallway that allows Dave easy access between his home and workspace.

Clerestory glazing across the top of the walls enclosing the DJ booth maintains openness throughout the extension, and leaves the entire roof structure exposed as a visual element." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>The garden is raised, and almost meets the bottom of the window in the dining area. “When you’re sitting here, it feels like the garden is flowing into the interior,” says architect Simon Knight." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

The hallway opens into the new extension, which now serves as an open-plan family space. The DJ booth has pocket doors so it can be closed off as needed. As for Dave’s therapy room, since it needed to be a quiet, tranquil space with private access for patients, the firm created a buffer from the other areas with a Japanese-inspired courtyard.

Because the extension is situated along the side of the house, one of the main concerns was bringing in natural light. The courtyard brings light and air into the therapy room while simultaneously providing a view of pebbles, ferns, and a water feature. In the kitchen and dining area are an arrangement of skylights.

Throughout the project, it was essential to find clever solutions to stay within budget while giving the interiors character. In the DJ booth, for example, Ikea shelving units were used for record storage, but by fitting them into the space they feel more like bespoke joinery.

Similarly, the kitchen cabinets are a standard gloss-white model from U.K. kitchen supplier Benchmarx, which has been elevated through the addition of plywood doors and a gray worktop; and the roof is clad in fiberglass rather than aluminum, as originally intended. “We talked about all these things early on to give money back to the project for that ‘wow’ factor,” says Knight.

That factor is found in the spectacularly exposed timber rafters in the roof, which add volume and a sense of grandeur to the space. “It’s the real showpiece—if you had a flat plasterboard ceiling in there it would be a completely different quality,” says Knight. “The rafters add warmth and have a beautiful honey glow.”

More from Simon Knight Architects:

Before & After: A Brick Hayloft in England Gets a Breakthrough Renovation

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Simon Knight Architects / @simonknightarchitects

Builder: Lemsford Building

Structural Engineer: DEC Engineering

Photographer: Matthew Smith Photography