Rear garden extension to a 1930’s semidetached house in Kingston.  The brief was to create a new kitchen living space that allows the family to take full advantage of the garden.  The east-sloping end corner plot descends from front to rear, leaving the garden half a storey lower than the house.

 

The proposal accentuates the change in level with a top-lit, double height space over the stair.  The form steps down over the kitchen, allowing natural light to infiltrate existing rooms while also reducing the impact on the neighbours.  In the dining area, sliding doors crank to face the garden and parkland beyond.  The kitchen double doors open to a small patio, capturing the morning sun.  Concrete floor tiles run seamlessly from interior to exterior.  The bold forms are plainly rendered but contrasted by the richness of handmade sapele windows and doors.