When the clients, a young family, first locked eyes on the outdated, 1930s terrace house that would become their home, they saw past its awkward layout and focused on its potential. To help bring it into fruition, the family turned to London–based Gruff Architects for a gut renovation, ripping out the ground floor and replacing the layout with an open plan suitable for modern-day living.

The upper levels also received fresh makeovers, with the first floor being converted into a space for the clients’ children, and the second becoming an airy master suite.

The team purposively opted for neutral materials—such as cork floor tiles, engineered timber floorboards, and birch-ply joinery—to form the home's fabric. Zinc yellow door fronts in the kitchen, an anthracite gray staircase, concrete tiles, and pale wood floors further emphasize the key elements, while effortlessly linking the various levels and rooms.

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Related Reading: A Renovated Apartment in Sweden Boasts Sunny Yellow Storage Walls

Project Credits:

Architect: Gruff Architects / @gruffarchitects

Builder & General Contractor: Lewel Construction (Lewis Donoghue)

Structural Engineer: MH Consulting LTD (Mark Health)

Appears In

Bearstead Rise by Gruff Architects

A Reinvented Terrace House in London Is Chock-Full of Clever Storage