Love Walk

The refurbishment, reconfiguration and extension of a late Victorian coach house in Camberwell, London The building had remained untouched for thirty years with a layout that still had echoes of being arranged for horse and cart with stable windows on the ground floor and a first floor fireplace for the coachman. We wanted to create a functional family house that complemented the architectural spirit of the building. An open plan ground floor combining the main living spaces was important to maximise the sense of connection in this otherwise modestly sized and sub-divided house. The small garden room extension employs a light touch approach with a continuation of floor and walls from inside to out. This house was about a celebration of simple, natural and (as far as possible) untreated materials and finishes. Oak for the floor and doors, eco-concrete using recycled aggregate for the worktops, natural black oxide and wax for the steel Crittall doors, gypsum for the walls with a clear beeswax sealer, reclaimed terracotta for the paving, exposed copper pipework for kitchen and bathroom fittings and exposed birch plywood for the joinery.