McLaren Excell transforms Victorian house into refined modern living space
Petersfield House by architects McLaren Excell reimagines a Victorian home in Cambridge into a contemporary, minimalist haven
Transforming and upgrading existing housing into buildings fit for contemporary living and current environmental requirements is a challenge relished by every architect. The UK’s vast stock of vernacular housing is usually readily identifiable with its age – Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian – with each era offering a surprisingly versatile canvas on which to restore, enhance and extend to create a modern living space.
McLaren Excell’s extension, restoration, and modernisation of this house in Cambridge builds on the studio’s experience of working with old buildings. The London-based studio, founded by Rob Excell and Luke McLaren in 2011, was featured in our 2018 Architects’ Directory.
Previous projects have harmonised old and new, with a pared-back minimalist architecture approach to creating new spaces, using a sparse material palette, meticulous detailing and a reverence for proportion, light, and showing off construction details.
Petersfield House had already been subject to alterations, although these earlier works only served to create a rather dense, dark internal plan that didn’t make the most of the house’s fine original proportions and exterior spaces.
The core of the house was therefore radically revised, with a new stairwell that linked the front and rear on the ground floor and provided a spacious landing on the floor above.
Unlike some of the studio’s earlier projects, there were barely any original decorative features to retain, so elements like doors and skirtings were pared back to nothing, with a shadow detail separating the timber floor, plaster and brick walls and the concrete ceilings above.
New bespoke joinery throughout creates a unity between the kitchen, staircase, and storage, while door openings were taken right up to ceiling height to improve the sense of flow between the spaces.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
The staircase has a quiet elegance, with its vertical steel spindles and oak veneered risers. It is paired with bespoke light fittings, designed by the practice, that drop down the entire height of the new stairwell.
The modern side extension was completely demolished and rebuilt, and the floor level dug down to give the new kitchen a more spacious feel. Rooflights flank the floating concrete ceiling and a large pane of frameless glass gives an unobstructed view of the garden.
The brickwork on the front façade of the new extension features subtle fluting that references the original chimneys. The interior of the extension also has a more utilitarian feel with exposed bricks and ceiling joists.
An original fireplace is retained in the dining room, making a strong juxtaposition with the new fireplace in the minimal sitting room.
The overall ambiance is one of quiet, calm, and unexpected space.
INFORMATION
mclarenexcell.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternatives
From the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice church
Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Discover Acqua di Parma’s new Mandarino di Sicilia fragrance at Milan Design Week 2024
Acqua di Parma and Fornice Objects bring the splendour of Sicilian mandarin fields to Milan to celebrate new fragrance Mandarino di Sicilia
By Simon Mills Published
-
Timber-framed Wimbledon house is a minimalist, low-energy affair
A new timber-framed Wimbledon house is designed to blend into its traditional surroundings with a neat brick façade, careful massing and pared back interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
London Science Museum’s Energy Revolution gallery champions sustainable exhibition design
The Energy Revolution gallery opens at London’s Science Museum, exploring decarbonisation through sustainable exhibition design by Unknown Works
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This South Downs house stands as a testament to the value of quiet refinement
At one with the landscape, a South Downs house uses elements of quintessential country villas and midcentury gems with modern technologies
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ash Tree House offers a contextual approach to a north London site
Ash Tree House by Edgley Design is a modern family home in a north London conservation area's backyard site
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
In memoriam: John Miller (1930-2024)
We remember John Miller, an accomplished British architect and educator who advocated a quiet but rigorous modernism
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
River Wing at Clare College responds to its historic Cambridge heritage
University of Cambridge opens its new River Wing on Clare College Old Court, uniting modern technology with historic design
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
Camden Workshop offers flexible family space in a transformed north London warehouse
Camden Workshop, a transformed industrial space in north London, was designed by architects McLaren Excell to combine residential space and a creative studio for its owners
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Haydon shows off its dramatic stepped volume and triplex penthouse
The Haydon, designed by architects Acme, reveals the triplex penthouse within its dramatic, stepped volume in London’s Aldgate
By Ellie Stathaki Published