Harcombe House

Harcombe House is a Victorian terraced refurbishment in London that brings the period architecture of the original house back into focus while extending it for contemporary family life. The brief was familiar, a side infill, rear extension and loft conversion, but the strategy mixed cleanly resolved modern interventions with restored historic detail.

Across the front and upper floors of the main house, sash windows, panelled doors and cornicing have been reinstated, returning some of the original character that earlier renovations had stripped away. A new mansard roof over the rear wing adds bedrooms, bathrooms and a small home office.

At ground level the plan has been reorganised around a young family. The former rear reception room gives way to a utility room and ground floor WC, and the spine wall is shifted to lengthen the front reception. Services tuck into the void below the stair. A striking green kitchen sits centrally beneath a large rooflight, with dining and living spaces oriented towards the garden, and banquette seating builds storage into the narrow plan.

To counter the low ceilings and poor daylight at the rear, the floor of the new extension and the garden beyond have both been lowered. Oversized glazing runs across the back elevation. Because the neighbours on either side already extend on different building lines, the rear glazing has been turned into a stepped corner to widen the field of view. The garden itself has been levelled with raised planters at the back, holding a cantilevered bench, and a palette of grey render, green turf and timber ties the landscape back to the kitchen extension.

Architect of record: Paul Archer Design (Richard Gill). Structural engineer: Hardman Structural Engineers. Contractor: John Building Services Ltd. Photographs by Jonathan Gooch.