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.'
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).
-
Remembering X-girl’s notorious 1994 fashion show, which starred a pre-fame Chloë Sevigny
A new book by Angela Hill, ‘X-girl Show’ – featuring an introduction by Chloë Sevigny – documents the cult label’s renegade 1990s fashion show, which took place in New York and captured a changing underground look
-
How to spot a fake Lamborghini: inside the sports car manufacturer’s Polo Storico division
Fake or fortune? We talk to the team of Lamborghini experts who can spot a priceless classic from a phoney
-
Meet The Good Plastic Company, rethinking the way we use plastic
This creatively responsible brand supplied, and recycled, the plastic plinths used in Wallpaper’s Milan Design Week exhibition. Here’s how it is reimagining the use and reuse of the contentious material
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend