Taper House

Our clients found the original Edwardian layout of their new home in Barnes, South West London with it’s dark interiors and cellular, disconnected spaces hard to reconcile with their desire for light filled, free flowing spaces with a bold design and views of the garden. They asked us to create an atypical version of the usual ground floor side and rear extension and then some.

For phase one, we tapered the interior walls away from the entrance to frame and expand views towards and through the garden as you move into the house, towards the greenery. Planes of tiled and oak floor finishes follow the angled hallway through the large open plan kitchen, dining and snug marking out functions and continue out across the garden patio to form a raised flowerbed connecting the inside with outside. The interior bench seating passes through the glazing to provide exterior shady dining seating on one side of the patio.

Strict planning restrictions concerning extension boundary heights conflicted with our clients desire for voluminous spaces which drove us to create dramatic angular roof planes that hover above the kitchen, dining and snug. The steelwork, joists and rafters that would normally be hidden are exposed to reinforce the sculptural qualities of the form and components themselves. Long views and flowing movement connect the living room through the TV room to the kitchen and snug. The highly insulated timber frame construction together with triple glazing and solar control film ensures that the project maintains a consistent temperature throughout the year enabling lower energy bills and a more sustainable way of life for our clients.

The loft extensions and re-organisation of the first floor which form phase two at Taper House will begin on site shortly.