A Victorian Terrace House in London Gets a Bright, Brutalist-Inspired Rear Addition

When London-based couple, Rebecca and Roman, decided to renovate and extend their semidetached Victorian terrace near London Fields, they envisioned a bright and spacious room for cooking, relaxing, and entertaining. "We wanted to restore a balance to the house," says Daniel Goodacre, cofounder of DGN Studio, the local firm behind the renovation. "The rear addition forms a new heart to the home, offering a serene gathering space between the revitalized garden and the restored rooms at the front of the house."

The original home was in fairly poor condition: Insufficient foundations  had caused cracking, and the building needed to be fully rewired and replumbed. The interior spatial arrangement was also quite disconnected, with wonderfully proportioned rooms at the front of the home that got progressively smaller toward the back. In addition, there was no meaningful connection between the indoor living spaces and the garden.

"We wanted to maintain the feeling of a having a series of rooms with their own distinct characters, which felt important to the historic nature of the house," says DGN studio cofounder Geraldine Ng. "But at the same time, we wanted to open up long views through the house to pull light in and allow for a better flow between the spaces."