Oaklands Grove

CAST OF CHARACTERS
The finished house reflects the client’s bravery, trust and collaboration with their design team. Working with Beata Heuman, we used a variety of forms, materials, textures and colours to create a series of distinct spaces throughout the house. Like scenes or characters in a play, each space has a different personality, making the house feel larger while offering the client varying degrees of openness, privacy and intimacy. 

SPACES
The front ground floor room has views onto a private front garden and is higher, as if it were a stage, providing a more intimate feel than the main open plan space. The ground floor extension comprises a generous kitchen and living area for the family to gather and play. A slatted wall conceals necessities such as coats, food storage and a hidden staircase to the cellar. The original entrance corridor is reconfigured to add hidden storage for outdoor paraphernalia. 

The upper floors comprise bedrooms and a large study for home working. Each floor has views onto richly planted gardens and roofs. The children’s bedrooms are interconnected by large acoustic sliding doors, allowing one big play-space during the day and separate bedrooms at night. The master bedroom suite is nestled within the loft addition, with a rope-lined daybed on the landing for a moment of calm or a midnight read. 

MATERIALS AND IMPERFECTION
The side addition roof and skylight are supported by an oak lattice structure, filtering the natural light and neighbouring views while offering glimpses of the planting above. Both the loft and ground floor additions are clad in gravel boards, taking inspiration from traditional English coastal structures and Japanese farm buildings. Raw plaster is set against bold colours, bamboo and rough-cut ply sheets. Imperfections in these materials are important, adding visual interest whilst being more forgiving in an active family home!

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