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There are two zones in the house. One side, which the architects refer to as the "buffer zone," faces north, capturing the sunlight in the winter and pulling it into the house. In the summer, it traps the harsh sun so less gets into the living space. Edible planters adorn the wall.

According to the architects, the house's "thinner dimensions not only display refinement of technique, but also remove visual weight from materials—the position being that lightness is good for the human spirit and visual heaviness is not."

Avid gardener Graham and his partner, Steve, approached Amos Goldreich Architecture to expand their Victorian mid-terrace house in the Stroud Green Conservation Area of Haringey, North London. “The design revolves around the garden Graham has lovingly labored over for decades,” says the founder of the eponymous firm. The rear extension includes a bright and spacious kitchen with a terrazzo island and beams clad in oak. Glazed sliding doors and a bay window connect the interior to the yard.

"We didn't want to put a lot of furniture out there," says Terry of the east terrace, adding that they sometimes bring the dining table outside for meals. "You can make it work with whatever you want."

A section of the facade—a cross between a shoji screen and a barn door—slides open. Planter boxes contain edible varieties that fuel Mary’s culinary explorations.

An energy-efficient TPO membrane covers the living room’s zigzag roof.