Oxford house extension brings Gothic revival to the 21st century
Oxford house extension project Quatrefoil House by Hyde + Hyde blends old and new with flair
An Oxford house extension marks a departure from its historical context with an outline that evokes modernist architecture, featuring, at the same time, a distinctive decorative trim. Quatrefoil House, a project by Cardiff-, Swansea- and Oxford-based architecture studio Hyde + Hyde, is a newly redesigned family home in the heart of the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area. The original structure, a handsome yet in-need-of-repair early Gothic Revival 1870s house built by John Dover to designs by John Galpin and George Shirley, is generous, and this contemporary update adds bags of character to its already heritage-rich bones.
Quatrefoil House is a five-bedroom home, including a lower-level entertaining space, and a secluded rear garden. At 450 sq m, it's comfortable in size, featuring a sculptural, geometric timber staircase at its heart, which brings all its four levels neatly together. The stairway also acts as a lightwell, bringing natural light deep into the home's interiors. Richly decorated inside with dark natural timber hues, deep blue and green tones, velvet fabrics, a black metal fireplace and heritage herringbone parquet floors, the home's interior matches its external looks, and feels warm and welcoming.
At the same time, the architects translated the original building's Gothic revival style to the modern times through its exterior design, with the façade featuring a quatrefoil tectonic tile in steel and bronze across the extension's outline. The tile motif is complemented by a single white concrete column that supports the house's side extension. It is ‘an inverted copy of its Gothic window counterpart’, the architects explain, ‘embedded within the existing house façade. Both elements are entwined in an interplay between solid and void’.
The clients approve: 'The house for us, although a fabulous blend of new and old, is predominantly a comfortable and fun family home,' they say. 'The dichotomy of being all together as a family in the heart of the house and having the luxury of finding sanctuary in a secluded room, is the greatest asset of this transformation.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
The Museum of Shakespeare set to open in east London
The Museum of Shakespeare puts the remains of the ancient Curtain Playhouse at the centre of 'The Stage', a new urban development in the heart of Shoreditch
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Paddington Square transforms its patch of central London with its 'elevated cube'
Paddington Square by Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been completed, elevating a busy London site through sustainability, modern workspace and a plaza
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural car parks to drive into, in the UK and beyond
Architectural car parks form an important part of urban infrastructure but can provide a design statement too; here are some of the finest examples to peruse, in the UK and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation
The Architectural Association’s ‘Ripple Ripple Rippling’ is not your typical architecture show, taking an anthropological look at the flux between rural and urban, and bringing a part of China to Bedford Square in London
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell Published
-
Into the groove: Henriksen House is the UK’s first home extension featuring exposed clay block walls
Architect Michael Henriksen uses textured clay blocks, cork flooring and self-built joinery to transform his family home in St Albans near London
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and more
London Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Load into this reimagined Fortnite cityscape, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
A collaboration between Epic Games and ZHA, Re:Imagine London brings the architects’ modular forms into one of the world’s most popular multiplayer games
By Jonathan Bell Published