Gallery House

This project is an upgrade to the architect’s father-in-law’s house that was in need of modernisation. The design adds a new light-filled side extension at ground floor level and a new loft bedroom and bathroom above where there was previously unused roof space.
A large open plan living space was created by opening up the front and rear reception rooms, providing ample display space for his extensive art collection. A fully glazed skylight to the side extension allows for increased light levels and improved connections between the spaces linking the front of the house to the rear garden.
A set of new stairs runs full width across the house marking the connection between the new and old rooms.
Niches have been carved into the depth of the walls to allow for storage space and for sculptures to be displayed.

A calm material palette of reclaimed bricks and oak flooring gives a sense of warmth and texture to his home. The rich detailing gives a tactile scale to the new domestic spaces. A large glass pivoting door enables generous access to the garden. Built-in seating in the kitchen provides an informal gathering space facing the garden.
A framework of oak shelving and timber rafters gives structure to the new ground floor space providing further display space for art, ceramics and glassware pieces under a bright sun filled fully glazed skylight.

The new loft level is a timber-framed zinc-clad structure. It allows for panoramic views towards Clissold Park and the church steeples in the distance and adds an additional bedroom and bathroom to the property.

Neil Dusheiko Architects have completed a beautiful and very personal renovation of a Victorian terraced house in Stoke Newington. The house was designed for the architect’s father-in-law, Charles Maggs, who was selling the family home where he had lived for 45 years. It is also just around the corner from the architect’s own house where he lives with his wife and family.
Neil Dusheiko said: “My wife wanted her father to be closer to us so we could easily pop in and out of each other’s homes. We found a house on the road parallel to ours but it was a bit dark and damp. I wanted to make it into a light and airy home where my father-in-law could live comfortably and easily in a really beautiful space."
One of the priorities was to make sure that there was plenty of room to display his collection of art and ceramics. The kitchen wall is lined with bespoke, oak shelving, where ceramics and glassware are displayed. The materials in the kitchen have been carefully chosen for their texture and warmth, complementing the numerous objet d'art. The floor is paved with brick pammets and the worktops are wood, as are the floors in the adjoining sitting room area.
The kitchen was very important as Charles is a keen cook. It is a light-filled space with a skylight over the dining table, a large, glass door leading into the garden and a comfortable window seat, the perfect place for visitors to sit and chat with the cook.
In the sitting room, there are simple, bespoke wooden cabinets but the design has been kept simple as the walls are filled with the owner’s collection of paintings and prints. Artworks also line the walls on the landing and in the bedrooms throughout the rest of the house.
Neil Dusheiko, Director of Neil Dusheiko architects said: “It was important in the design to strike a balance between bringing in light but also creating a private and intimate space that felt very personal. We wanted to modernise the house and make it a more comfortable place to live but retain a feeling of warmth."
A new loft has been added, which is light and bright with skylights, and large windows through which you can see the spire of the local church in the distance. It is also cosy and private, with wooden cupboards and floors and dusty red walls that complement Charles’ kilims and textiles.
Practice Director Neil Dusheiko said: “We wanted the house to feel light and to be comfortable and modern but at the same time to be very personal. By designing the house around all of my father-in-law's beautiful things I hoped to make the move from the old family home a little easier. My wife and I and our daughter are always in and out of the house and every time I visit there’s another picture up or another ceramic dish on the shelves. I’m enjoying seeing Charles settle into the house."

The main ambition for the ground floor of the property was to open up the sitting and living spaces, creating a visual connection between the two. The client is a keen cook and wanted to be able to cook and entertain easily in a warm, bright space. We achieved this by opening up the front and rear reception rooms and by putting in a glass skylight in the kitchen area. We also extended the connection between the living spaces into the garden by continuing the reclaimed brick floor, used in the kitchen, out onto the garden terrace.
We wanted to bring much more light into the previously slightly dark and pokey Victorian terrace house. Upstairs we did this by adding several skylights – including over all the bathrooms so one can shower under the stars.
We added a new loft and ensuite bathroom where the wooden flooring and carefully chosen tiles mean it is light-filled, yet cosy and private. Materials were chosen throughout the house to create a warm feel in the new light-filled spaces and to complement the client’s extensive art and ceramic collection. We created light space throughout the house for hanging pictures and bespoke wooden joinery for displaying ceramics and glassware.
The client’s ambition for the interiors was to create visually connected spaces that exuded an atmosphere of calm throughout. The connection to nature and the use of materials with warmth and texture to the interiors were key. A limited palette of materials were chosen from the start of the project giving a unified warm feeling to the home.

The materials were carefully selected to create a unified palette that would help exude a warm calm atmosphere, tying the contemporary design into the existing historic fabric of the home. Materials work well together due to the inherent relationships between natural and reclaimed materials.

Reclaimed Brick:
We used reclaimed brick tiles for the new kitchen and dining spaces which provides warmth and texture to the newly created space. We used the same material outside on the patio to create a sense of connection between inside and outside.

Glass:
A large pivot door and a fully glazed roof over the dining rooms maximise light ingress and create a strong connection between the house and the garden. Tall sliding glass panels allow for framed views from the house to the outside.

Oak Joinery:
Bespoke oak joinery provides lighter textured infill areas for storage and display for the client’s ceramic and glassware collection.
The joinery also houses the heating storage containers, handrails and plenty of space for the client’s personal effects collected over his lifetime.

Zinc Cladding:
We chose black anthracite zinc cladding for the loft structure as we wanted to use cladding in large sheets to give a more monolithic feel to the roof extension. This included creating large panels of solid metal with simple clean openings framing up views from the roof to key local attractions.