North London Loft

The bathroom sits on the street side as a curved pod that carves into the bedroom floor plate. It's an approach we developed on this project: the curve creates spatial dynamics where the bed feels held whilst the bathroom and adjacent dressing area feel more private. The curved wall reads as a sculptural element rather than a partition.

We clad the extension in zinc with standing seams, expressed as a sculptural form. The front elevation is deliberately composed with sharp dormers and concealed gutter detailing. The rear is driven more by interior requirements and planning constraints around existing datums. Built-up zinc upstands frame the roof lights rather than sitting flush, emphasising the materiality. The Velux rooflights have flip-clean operation and integrated blackout blinds on upstands. The clients were clear about their blackout requirements from the start, which let us specify the detail early in the design process.

Hidden sliding fire doors across the stairwell let the plan stay open whilst meeting Building Regulations. They slide across both the study and the short stair to the bedroom, creating an intermediate landing space with access to laundry.

The ground floor extension already existed, designed by the clients' previous architect. It's a really nicely designed space that stood the test of time, so we worked in the same spirit of differentiating new from old rather than attempting pastiche.

The clients stayed in their community. The top floor remains minimal — joinery doing the architectural work rather than furniture and decoration. It's what we set out to achieve: a loft extension that doesn't feel like a compromise.