Egerton House

A south-facing Edwardian garden flat reshaped by Paul Archer Design, where a wraparound rear extension and a new basement turn a compact home into a generous, light-filled space for a professional cook.

The single-storey extension is composed of two volumes whose heights respect the boundary conditions on either side. The larger volume forms the living and lounge area, and a pocket-sliding glass door allows the full width of the rear elevation to open onto the garden. The width of the new opening aligns with the original glazed opening, which has been carefully restored so that old and new sit in balance. Glass-to-glass cornered rooflights pull views of the sky deep into the plan, while the summer room captures free solar heat. A horizontal glazing member conceals the sliding door track, curtain track and strip lighting, so that when the curtains are drawn the flat feels secure as well as bright.

The kitchen has been remodelled around the daily routine of a professional cook and food writer. Staples are stacked on open shelving, pans are kept in easy reach, and integrated joinery keeps the lines clean to stop the compact space from feeling cluttered. The original timber floorboards have been sanded and re-oiled, then run into the resin floor of the extension and continue down the steps to the new basement.

Below ground sit a utility space, a bathroom and a large bedroom, configured so the bedroom can split into two singles if the family ever needs it. Light reaches the basement through a vented rooflight above the stair, a walk-over rooflight and a light well. The light well is clad with timber as though it were another piece of bedroom joinery, blurring inside and out. A dark stain blends the timber with the reclaimed pier boards. Battens run vertically as a balustrade, while horizontal braces are angled to dapple the sunlight and direct the rain, bringing a sense of nature into this subterranean room.

Project budget: £304,500. Completion: 2019.

Architect: Paul Archer Design. Contractor and consultant: Concept Linear. Photography: Emanuelis Stasaitis.