Totteridge Common

We were asked by the client to create a new family home in Totteridge in Northwest London. The existing house was an outdated 1970s house, and it was agreed at an early stage that it would be appropriate to replace this with a new house which could make better use of the site while also providing modern services, light levels and building fabric performance. The house occupies a gently sloping site, and the proposal was to create a building which is set into the slope with a modest appearance at the front, but which reveals an increasing drama when you enter the house. The level changes also allowed for the creation of tiered landscaping at the front which give the main living room a South facing aspect without looking onto the road and driveway.

The landscaping provides an important feature of the entrance to the house, with the introduction of several mature trees that soften the building while also providing a degree of seasonal solar shading. A textural material palette of long format natural brick and dark stained timber contrast with the precise angular forms of the building. Areas of angled brickwork were carefully composed to add visual interest and texture and give a play of light and shadow.

Inside the house, the entrance hall leads to the different wings of the house. On one side the main Living dining and kitchen space. On the other there is a formal living room and at the front, a gym and cinema space which link through to the garage space. These are connected by a large dramatic double height living space which looks down the garden. This space includes a large floating expanse of the brickwork used externally, the texture of which is emphasised by the light from the rooflight above. All these spaces are unified by a polished concrete floor which provide the same raw but precise feel as the exterior materials. From here, a double height sliding window can be opened to allow access to the garden beyond.

Upstairs the double height space serves to separate the master suite from the other bedrooms giving it a degree of privacy and separation, with its own private view over the grounds. Purpose made dark stained joinery, and a custom-built steel stair provide an exacting attention to detail in the design.

As with many of our projects we were responsible from concept to completion managing lighting, audio visual, joinery and kitchen design alongside specialist consultants including the structural and services engineering and we managed the construction process on site. We carefully controlled all aspects of the specification to achieve a highly considered aesthetic which included consideration of every aspect – from the form of the building and how it sits on the site, the relationship of landscaping and choosing specific trees, right through to the door handles, light fittings and taps, every detail was given thought and consideration to create the final result.