A West London extension thinks big, bringing light and flow to a neglected period lean-to
Ealing Return by Brown Urbanism and Kitchen Bee elevates a humble terraced house in West London through contemporary design
A new West London extension is a contemporary showcase of how to make the most of a boutique footprint and modest budget. Ealing Return, a new residential design by specialist experts Kitchen Bee and Brown Urbanism, a Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024 alumnus, is situated in West Ealing. The team – Brown has award-winning work such as Triangle House under his belt – worked in harmony to craft a rear addition to an existing period property in order to expand the family home's kitchen and dining area towards the garden.
Explore a west London extension with Ealing Return
The ground floor project also included the full refurbishment of the terraced house to provide an open-plan lounge, kitchen and dining space for the users – a family of three. The new-build element replaced a pre-existing lean-to rear extension that had become unfit for purpose, allowing only space for a galley kitchen layout with poor light.
Brown and Kitchen Bee's Mioko Fujisaki recall: 'The client appointed Kitchen Bee Design Ltd to consider options for improving the kitchen layout. It became clear that a replacement ground floor extension would unlock the ground floor layout – at which point Kitchen Bee invited their collaborator architect Brown Urbanism to work with the client to consider how to arrange a new extension to provide the additional requirements.'
The aim? 'More light and openness across the ground floor; better flow from the front to the back of the house; additional utility space for a washing machine and dryer; a larger, more efficient kitchen; the addition of a ground-floor guest WC; a built-in seating area and dining room; more space to spend time with friends and family; lots of storage yet feeling spacious,' explains the team.
Kitchen manufacturer Armony Cucine took on the build.
'Our approach was to provide great light, volume and storage without sterility. We wanted to create an opportunity for a subtle and distinctive character internally,' says Brown.
'We considered around 7-8 iterative options which tested the idea of various walk-in utility rooms that would divide the ground floor plan into distinct segments - the chosen option favoured the double route approach which carefully divides the lounge and kitchen/dining spaces via two mirrored arched openings that allow light and views from the front to the back of the house, maximising the sense of volume whilst retaining a sense of enclosure to the cosier living space.'
He continues: 'Mioko and Lucy from Kitchen Bee provided all the required utility room functions within a bank of tall units within the kitchen itself. We designed the pitched side infill section with exposed painted rafters spanning below the roof lights, creating a continuous rhythm along the ceiling whilst subtly dappling the direct sunlight.'
