Studio 163 have added a window seat and subterranean wine cellar to a family home in London. E + H wanted to open up their kitchen and dining space to the garden and maximise light whilst minimising the changes to their existing façade. Photography by Emanuelis Stasaitis.

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The main issue was the existing narrow galley kitchen which had little natural light. The aim was to create a subtle intervention that would enhance their way of living.

We proposed a modest side extension as well as an opening in the rear façade which allows for a widening of the plan and for a new space to be created which could be used in multiple ways. The main element of this project was to introduce a window nook which acts as a reading space, a seating area around the breakfast table and as storage for the two children’s activities.

The brief included a subterranean wine cellar which required significant excavation works and the pouring of over three tonnes of cement.

We designed the space with a restrained palette of materials in mind, echoing the relaxed feeling of the garden, using highly skilled joiners to create feature pieces and using a subtle terrazzo for the continuous backsplash to provide a playful element to the kitchen.

Externally, the facade respects what is already there, a context of inter-war Art Deco housing typically finished in white render.