Houzz Tour: A Classic Victorian Terrace Opened Up and Refreshed
Before and after photos show the top-to-toe transformation of this period property – and its bold new hallway feature
Michael Healey’s clients, a cat-loving professional couple, had lived in their Victorian terrace for several years before embarking on a full refurb. In fact, they’d originally approached Design Squared Architects in 2014, but then stalled as one of them, a vet, wanted to focus on setting up his own practice first.
In 2021, though, it was all systems go and the firm was finally able to fulfil its clients’ brief for creating an open-plan, sociable ground floor and rear extension, a loft conversion and a top-to-toe refurbishment. Design Squared also upgraded the heating system to make it more efficient and added insulation. The result was worth the wait…
In 2021, though, it was all systems go and the firm was finally able to fulfil its clients’ brief for creating an open-plan, sociable ground floor and rear extension, a loft conversion and a top-to-toe refurbishment. Design Squared also upgraded the heating system to make it more efficient and added insulation. The result was worth the wait…
Before the renovation, access to the garden was from the house end of the side return.
“The property hadn’t been touched in years and those Victorian houses feel very disjointed,” architect Michael Healey says. Rather than lots of little rooms and access to the kitchen via the hallway only, which is what they had, the owners wanted a sociable space where they could be in the kitchen while also feeling connected to the spaces from front to back.
Linsey Skepper of Muchmore Design was brought in to undertake the interior design. “The couple wanted someone to advise them on every interior detail,” Michael says.
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“The property hadn’t been touched in years and those Victorian houses feel very disjointed,” architect Michael Healey says. Rather than lots of little rooms and access to the kitchen via the hallway only, which is what they had, the owners wanted a sociable space where they could be in the kitchen while also feeling connected to the spaces from front to back.
Linsey Skepper of Muchmore Design was brought in to undertake the interior design. “The couple wanted someone to advise them on every interior detail,” Michael says.
Find the right people for your project by searching the Houzz Professionals Directory.
The interesting roofline is created by the intersection of the existing outrigger’s pitch, the new extension’s pitch, and the flat ceiling underneath the floor above.
Modest rooflights punctuate the space, allowing in plenty of daylight, but reducing both heat loss and the potential for summer overheating. They also retain privacy, as the property is overlooked.
Leaving the London stock brick of the extension wall exposed adds visual warmth to the minimal kitchen space.
Polished concrete floor, Lazenby. Häcker kitchen, Dulwich Kitchens. Knot pendant lamp, The Wall Lighting Company.
Modest rooflights punctuate the space, allowing in plenty of daylight, but reducing both heat loss and the potential for summer overheating. They also retain privacy, as the property is overlooked.
Leaving the London stock brick of the extension wall exposed adds visual warmth to the minimal kitchen space.
Polished concrete floor, Lazenby. Häcker kitchen, Dulwich Kitchens. Knot pendant lamp, The Wall Lighting Company.
Previously, the kitchen was cramped, with no direct access to the garden.
Now there’s a real connection to the patio. Michael says his clients would have liked to go for steel patio doors to tie into the internal glazing, but couldn’t find a UK-manufactured ones in the style they wanted. These ones are made from aluminium. “They wanted bifolds to get that inside-outside feel,” he says.
A wood breakfast bar extends from the quartz-topped island and provides a day-to-day eating spot for the couple. They wanted a clean, pared-back kitchen, so everything is hidden behind floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
The cladding continues round to form a fence in the garden. It provides a good-looking backdrop and visually brings more wooden warmth into the kitchen. “The thickness is nice – 60mm batons give it a sleeker finish, so it doesn’t look like a garden shed,” Michael says. The bench (which extends round the corner) has slimline storage built in, so there’s somewhere to stash cushions at night.
Bifolding doors, Thames Valley Windows. Elgin metal kitchen stools, Cult Furniture.
A wood breakfast bar extends from the quartz-topped island and provides a day-to-day eating spot for the couple. They wanted a clean, pared-back kitchen, so everything is hidden behind floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
The cladding continues round to form a fence in the garden. It provides a good-looking backdrop and visually brings more wooden warmth into the kitchen. “The thickness is nice – 60mm batons give it a sleeker finish, so it doesn’t look like a garden shed,” Michael says. The bench (which extends round the corner) has slimline storage built in, so there’s somewhere to stash cushions at night.
Bifolding doors, Thames Valley Windows. Elgin metal kitchen stools, Cult Furniture.
A dining area for when the couple have guests bridges the space between the kitchen and a formal living room at the front of the house.
The sleek sideboard, designed by the team, is topped with the same quartz used for the kitchen worktops to connect the spaces and features a ribbed glass door section.
Bespoke sideboard with white Emperador polished marble top, Ben Joseph Joinery; painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Diamond wood dining table, CosyWood.
The sleek sideboard, designed by the team, is topped with the same quartz used for the kitchen worktops to connect the spaces and features a ribbed glass door section.
Bespoke sideboard with white Emperador polished marble top, Ben Joseph Joinery; painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Diamond wood dining table, CosyWood.
The original wall between the living and dining areas and the hallway.
The wall transformed. Michael’s clients came up with the idea of opening up the dark, narrow hallway with glazing onto the dining and living areas. A section of the supporting wall remains at the top and the glass is fireproof, with frames made from steel, which provides the necessary strength here.
As well as the strength of the glazed wall, there were more safety considerations that affected the design. “Because the property is five storeys and this space is fully open-plan, we needed to have an enclosed stairwell for a fire escape route,” Michael says.
A solid wall and timber door would have been the cheapest – and quickest – route to achieving this (lead times for the steel and glass were long), but he believes this solution was the best for the design. “In Victorian properties, the hallway is very narrow,” he says, “and choosing glass has given the area light and a sense of space.”
The small door beneath the stairs contains the gas meter and electrics.
As well as the strength of the glazed wall, there were more safety considerations that affected the design. “Because the property is five storeys and this space is fully open-plan, we needed to have an enclosed stairwell for a fire escape route,” Michael says.
A solid wall and timber door would have been the cheapest – and quickest – route to achieving this (lead times for the steel and glass were long), but he believes this solution was the best for the design. “In Victorian properties, the hallway is very narrow,” he says, “and choosing glass has given the area light and a sense of space.”
The small door beneath the stairs contains the gas meter and electrics.
Looking through the glass door from the hallway, the view is elegant and coordinated. The interior designer mixed and matched the owners’ existing items with new pieces that all pull together, whether in colour or material.
The flooring – a white stained three-layer engineered oak – helps to keep the space feeling light.
Nordic white oak flooring, Ecohardwood.
The flooring – a white stained three-layer engineered oak – helps to keep the space feeling light.
Nordic white oak flooring, Ecohardwood.
The homeowners had always had their day-to-day living room on the first floor and used the ground floor space that’s now the living room (seen here) as a home office.
Now, that space has been transformed into a calm, formal living room, with the work desk being replaced by elegant sofas and an inviting layout.
Victorian features were reinstated in the form of cornicing and a ceiling rose, which add to the room’s elegant feel. An AV specialist drew up plans for the whole house and, as well as data points in every room, there’s also a wireless home sound system installed with speakers throughout – including in the garden. You can see a discreet one in the ceiling in this shot.
The sash windows were replaced with double-glazed replicas, further improving the thermal performance of the house.
Ottilie Modern sofa, Love Your Home. Marlow coffee table, West Elm. Zuiver Obi rug, Naken.
Victorian features were reinstated in the form of cornicing and a ceiling rose, which add to the room’s elegant feel. An AV specialist drew up plans for the whole house and, as well as data points in every room, there’s also a wireless home sound system installed with speakers throughout – including in the garden. You can see a discreet one in the ceiling in this shot.
The sash windows were replaced with double-glazed replicas, further improving the thermal performance of the house.
Ottilie Modern sofa, Love Your Home. Marlow coffee table, West Elm. Zuiver Obi rug, Naken.
The homeowners’ bedroom, on the second floor, was in decent shape, but ready for a decorative refresh.
Aside from repainting, the room also got new joinery, a fresh coat of paint on the fireplace and new hearth tiles.
The floorboards were in good enough condition to be retained; they were sanded and treated with a light finish to keep them pale in line with the engineered planks on the ground floor.
The floorboards were in good enough condition to be retained; they were sanded and treated with a light finish to keep them pale in line with the engineered planks on the ground floor.
Outside the main bedroom door you can see the new staircase that leads up to the dormer loft conversion, which is a guest/workout/games room. The wall here was clad in brick slips to echo the bare brick on the ground floor.
Down a level on the first floor is the TV room – the couple’s informal living space. Again, this just got a refresh, but the difference is dramatic…
The interior designer for the project has turned the room into a tranquil space, with green tones and greenery helping to pull in the treetops beyond the windows. There’s also a keyboard, previously in a bedroom, in here, making this more than just a TV room.
The first floor bathroom was previously restricted due to the space being taken up by a chimney breast on the left.
Once Michael had had this removed, there was room to rejig the layout and there’s now a generous basin opposite a large, walk-in shower – and still room for a bath. Black fittings echo the steelwork downstairs.
Joinery, Ben Joseph Joinery. Oska tiles in Powder Blue, Mandarin Stone. Matt black brassware, Just Taps.
Joinery, Ben Joseph Joinery. Oska tiles in Powder Blue, Mandarin Stone. Matt black brassware, Just Taps.
The oval bath provides a lovely spot in which to lie back and enjoy this beautifully revived home.
Tell us…
Which room is your favourite in this house? Let us know why in the Comments.
Tell us…
Which room is your favourite in this house? Let us know why in the Comments.
Who lives here? A professional couple and their two cats
Location Dulwich, south-east London
Property A Victorian terrace
Size Five bedrooms (two used as home offices) and three bathrooms
Architecture and design Michael Healey of Design Squared Architects
Interior design Linsey Skepper of Muchmore Design
Garden design Caroline Crawford Garden Design
Kitchen design Dulwich Design Kitchens
Photos by Chris Snook
The contemporary style of the refurbishment is evident even from the outside. The rear extension is clad in timber and has bifolding doors to give the space an inside-outside feel.
Cladding, Russwood.