A modern house extension and comprehensive renovation of a Victorian semi-detached property located within the historic Whalley Range Conservation Area. The project demonstrates how contemporary interventions can enhance, rather than compromise, heritage contexts.
The design asserts its own era, framing the garden and opening the historic footprint to the light.
Externally, the addition acts as a stark, minimalist frame. A pure white rectilinear volume is pressed against the textured, weathered masonry of the original house. This deliberate tension honors the Victorian fabric by refusing to mimic it, allowing the old and the new to exist distinctly.
Internally, the extension reorganizes the ground floor to prioritize natural light and free-flowing space. A sharp, monochromatic material palette is employed throughout. Matte black kitchen cabinetry provides a heavy visual anchor within the otherwise ethereal, bright white environment.
Light is treated as a primary building material. An expansive structural glass skylight cuts across the seam where the new extension meets the old house, washing the interior walls and the original external brickwork in daylight. It serves to detach the new ceiling plane, allowing it to seemingly float.
The transition between levels is celebrated rather than concealed. Sharp, minimal steel handrails guard precise tiled steps, stepping down into the new space while leaving sections of the rough foundation brickwork exposed below the datum line.
