Formwork Architects has completed a radical overhaul of a house in north London. The Edwardian building, in Crouch End, served as a care home for many decades, and the transformation back into a family house involved substantial excavations and internal reorganisation. Potential roadblocks included the location – a local conservation area – and the dilapidated condition of the property, as well as the lingering memory of a contentious earlier proposal to over-develop the site.
The new rear extension opens onto a sunken courtyard
The planning process, therefore, involved careful and diplomatic negotiations with the authorities and the neighbours, but ultimately enabled the expansive extension as well as carte blanche to rework the internal space. This included adding a new bespoke metal staircase and a double-height rear extension that makes full use of the expanded lower-ground level.
Creating space and light at Crouch End House
The new kitchen is located in the former basement
The clients wanted a house that could accommodate the shifting spatial demands of family life, with separation between formal and informal spaces. In total, there are five bedrooms, three of which are ensuite. The new lower-ground floor also includes a kitchen/diner opening onto the garden courtyard, with the new staircase leading to a sitting room above it.
A bespoke metal staircase leads from kitchen to sitting room
Despite an overall lack of original features, surviving bits and pieces were retained wherever possible – such as in the original entrance hallway, with its restored stained glass. Here, the space was opened up to create a double-height space, with a long vista past the main staircase – also original and fully restored – to a private living area and through to the rear of the house.
The staircase is top lit by a new rooflight
The new lower ground floor expanded the original basement in both directions, including a storage and utility space beneath the front drive. At the rear, the double-height extension measures 8.2m, looking out onto a deep lightwell that steps up into the rear garden, flanked by a walkway at ground level. Sliding glass doors on both levels bring the outside in, along with new roof-lights.
The sitting room overlooks the garden
The sitting room overlooks the garden
Formwork has ordered the extension around the bespoke freestanding metal staircase, with open treads to allow light down into the space, and an elegant curved that flows through the space. Timber treads use the same wood as the flooring, while bespoke joinery throughout the project creates a warm unifying feel to the space.
The completed project is a generous 465 sq m, thanks to the expansion of the original deep plan, with the careful preservation of available natural light ensuring it doesn’t feel dark or compromised.
‘The clients wanted a house that responded to the rhythms of their busy lives, with spaces where the family can enjoy together that retain a strong connection to the garden,’ says Nick Learoyd, director of Formwork Architects. ‘The material palette was carefully selected to be tactile yet durable and enforce the belief that the house should be enjoyed, not just admired.’
Bespoke joinery is used throughout the house to unify the spaces
The refurbished inner living room maintains its period features
FormworkArchitects.co.uk, @FormworkArchitects