Invited by a young family to extend and refresh their new home, architecture studio DF_DC got to work on this redesign of a 1980s mews house in West London in 2017. The residential project appeared small – originally at a mere 68 sq m – but had a lot of potential, and the studio, led by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon and featured in the 2020 Wallpaper* Architects Directory, embraced its challenges.
‘Sitting on the northern side of a cobbled mews, the house had to be extended at ground and loft levels to accommodate for the young family who had bought it after being vacant for some years, without detracting from the visual continuity of the street,’ say the two architects. Creating extra space without changing the overall front facade appearance much was a key point to negotiate in the design.
The architects’ clever, surgical interventions not only achieved that but also enhanced the spatial experience and quality of living for the owners. Now reaching up to 100 sq m, the house has an extended ground floor living space, which reaches out towards the rear garden – the remaining part of which was paved into a tidy patio. Internal arrangement was adjusted and upstairs rooms were extended into the roof where possible.
A common language of materials and colours was developed throughout to create a sense of continuity and visual consistency. Hardwood frames out of European oak were used to create partitions and roof elements, enveloping spaces in warm timber. Meanwhile, this was offset by cooler concrete flooring for the living areas and grey valchromat for the kitchen.
Simple forms, clear surfaces, raw materials with a natural, tactile finish and muted colours create a neutral, sophisticated yet welcoming and full of character interior – one that is also spacious and airy, proving there’s more than meets the eye to this modest mews house. ‘It has been a very gratifying experience,’ says the team. §
