Credits
From Studio Fabbri
Interior designer Gemma Fabbri, along with her partner, creative director Danny McNeil and their two children, embarked on transforming their Walthamstow house. Collaborating with SS4 architects, Studio Fabbri took on the challenge of creating a warm, relaxed, and functional family kitchen and dining space while adhering to a modest budget and sustainable material choices.
The extension involved a 2 metre expansion and side infill, striking a balance between garden space and the accommodation of a flexible dining area. The ground floor design emphasises practicality and adaptability, featuring an open-plan layout designed to evolve with the family’s changing needs.
The kitchen interior reflects Gemma and Danny’s vision of playfulness, texture, and functionality. IKEA cabinets with bespoke Birch Plywood fronts strike a balance between affordability and sustainability, while pale pink fluted tiles, a matt terrazzo worktop, and pops of colour add vibrant yet practical touches. The floor features a pale concrete-coloured marmoleum and the pink plaster wall has been left raw.
In the kitchen, there is a large window seat on to the garden. Studio Fabbri often often design window seats into small London terraces because the footprint of the interior spaces tend to be relatively tight and the connection to the outside is key to a healthy living environment.
The architecture of the building is also designed with convenience, simplicity and budget in mind. Readily available solar powered rooflights were chosen along the the side infill. The timber rafters of the extension roof are exposed internally and frame the rooflights resulting in an aesthetically pleasing architectural detail.
The exterior facade of the extension has been clad with charred larch cladding. The linear horizontal and vertical layout plays on the shape of the pitched extension.
Gemma and her partner’s affinity for colour and geometry is evident throughout the design, resulting in a bright, honest and tranquil space with pops of colour and texture against natural timber finishes.
This completed project stands as a testament to Studio Fabbri’s commitment to innovative and thoughtful design solutions in East London, setting a new standard for sustainable, budget-conscious, and flexible living spaces.