Our Patch July 2015
Before
& After
A Hammersmith house goes from dated and
tired to a design masterpiece in just two years
with expert help and plenty of imagination
T
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SCH HENS
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hink you can’t make daring
architectural decisions in
the conservation area of
Brackenbury Village? Well,
think again. Because one
unassuming brick terrace
house in Dalling Road with a tired old
kitchen has just been transformed into
an architectural design masterpiece.
It took two years, one for design and
planning, and one for the building
work, but the results are simply
breathtaking.
The homeowners – a young married
couple with a small child – tasked
themselves with creating a practical yet
stylish house, and employed Shoreditch
architect Neil Dusheiko after seeing
some of his previous work.
His brief was to design a space that
makes full use of the sunshine from the
south as it bathes the rear of the house
with light through its bold use of glass.
The transformation began by digging
out the basement, as a loft conversion
was prohibited. With the couple
wanting to use as much natural light as
possible in the basement it led Neil to
off-handedly suggest a glass floor above
it. They thought it was a great idea.
“It’s the first glass floor we’ve ever
done,” Neil says. “And we kept that
theme running throughout the house.”
More glass arrived in the form of two
huge folding doors which meet at a
right angle – amazingly, without a
column as a join – as they open out to
the rear patio.
The design marvel was a labour of
love for the contractor and allows the
patio to function as an extension of
the house, connecting the stylish
kitchen space to wherever dinner is
being served.
Like the custom joinery throughout,
the kitchen is sleek and minimal.
Supplied and fitted by Schmidt Kitchens
in nearby King Street, it maximises
storage space while matching the
almost industrial design of the house.
That exacting standard is down to
the number of options the kitchen
experts can offer – totalling no less
than 89 different finishes and 24
cabinet colours, says manager Jai
Dhana proudly.
Upstairs, the couple scrapped the
roof joists and utilised the redundant
loft space to create height by extending
up to the roofbeams, adding in
skylights to let the sun pour through.
But it’s the bathroom that really
pushes the boat out with its glass
ceiling and use of stylish composite
porcelain and stone tiles. And with
energy conservation in mind,
underfloor heating is used throughout
the entire house.
“It was a very complex job, both
technically and structurally. Working
with the historic foundation was tricky.
“We also went to great lengths to
minimise any impact on the
neighbours. Yet it turned out really well
and it was great to work with clients
who pushed us to create something
unusual. The more complex, the
better,” Neil says with a smile.