Room of the Day: A Light-Filled Loft-Style Kitchen Addition
A period London property embraces industrial style and exposed materials with an open-plan layout
When the owners of this traditional Victorian home in London moved in, they had ambitious plans for it. “Our clients had a clear idea of achieving a New York-style industrial warehouse space within a Victorian London home,” says John Norman, director of Mustard Architects, who worked on the project for just over a year. “Part of our job was to pull together all the different elements and details to make the space feel distinctive and work as a greater whole.”
The kitchen and dining area at the back of the property was originally much smaller, and felt dark and disconnected from the living spaces.
The new kitchen was custom-designed by Mustard Architects and handmade by a cabinetmaker. It combines stained birch plywood cabinet fronts with stainless steel countertops, and has an integrated sink for a seamless finish that has a distinct urban-industrial look.
“We used stained birch plywood to create a bespoke textured finish,” Norman says. “It’s an easy material to work with and has straightforward yet elegant details.”
Kitchen cabinets: Hexagon Furniture; countertops: MPN Engineering Services; pendant lights: Barn Light Electric
The new kitchen was custom-designed by Mustard Architects and handmade by a cabinetmaker. It combines stained birch plywood cabinet fronts with stainless steel countertops, and has an integrated sink for a seamless finish that has a distinct urban-industrial look.
“We used stained birch plywood to create a bespoke textured finish,” Norman says. “It’s an easy material to work with and has straightforward yet elegant details.”
Kitchen cabinets: Hexagon Furniture; countertops: MPN Engineering Services; pendant lights: Barn Light Electric
Norman opted for exposed ductwork because it enhanced the industrial vibe of the space. “We used off-the-shelf rigid metal ductwork, which the contractor installed on-site,” he says.
“Cooking was another important aspect for our clients, and we helped them look through various … options before they settled on a Falcon range and hood.”
“Cooking was another important aspect for our clients, and we helped them look through various … options before they settled on a Falcon range and hood.”
A glass roof was a key requirement and part of the design from the beginning. “We had to work closely with the builder to discuss how the new structure would integrate with the old,” Norman says.
The clients wanted to expose the existing floor joists above the main kitchen area to create an interesting ceiling feature.
“We ran with the idea by using oversized rough-cut timber rafters for the rooflight supports in the extension,” Norman says. “We could have used standard aluminum rafters, but these wouldn’t have been appropriate due to their smooth and square finish. Instead, we specified rough timbers to match the finish of the floor joists, and oversized them so that they became a strong element within the space.”
The exposed brickwork and beams were then simply painted white. This not only kept the costs down, but it also helped to achieve a textured industrial backdrop without too much fuss. “The paint worked to unify all the different materials while keeping their raw finish,” the architect adds.
The retro-style dining table and chairs were picked up from a secondhand shop by the clients while they were living in New York.
Skylight: Lonsdale
The clients wanted to expose the existing floor joists above the main kitchen area to create an interesting ceiling feature.
“We ran with the idea by using oversized rough-cut timber rafters for the rooflight supports in the extension,” Norman says. “We could have used standard aluminum rafters, but these wouldn’t have been appropriate due to their smooth and square finish. Instead, we specified rough timbers to match the finish of the floor joists, and oversized them so that they became a strong element within the space.”
The exposed brickwork and beams were then simply painted white. This not only kept the costs down, but it also helped to achieve a textured industrial backdrop without too much fuss. “The paint worked to unify all the different materials while keeping their raw finish,” the architect adds.
The retro-style dining table and chairs were picked up from a secondhand shop by the clients while they were living in New York.
Skylight: Lonsdale
The architect chose a concrete floor to add to the raw, industrial feel of the space. “It’s a power-floated concrete floor, which involves a high-speed mechanical process of troweling the concrete to leave a smooth and level finish, which we left untinted and treated with a satin sealant,” Norman says.
The openings between each room were widened and kept free of doors to allow as much light as possible to filter through. It strikes a balance between modern open-plan living and traditional individual rooms.
“The house has a fairly straightforward open layout on the ground floor,” Norman says. “We created a procession of spaces” from the front living room through to the rear living room in the middle of the house into the kitchen-dining area and out into the garden.
“There’s an awesome sense of space and light that hits you when moving from the front of the house to the rear. When in the dining space, you have a view out to the garden, back to the living room, across to the kitchen, and up to the sky and, at night, the stars,” he says.
“The house has a fairly straightforward open layout on the ground floor,” Norman says. “We created a procession of spaces” from the front living room through to the rear living room in the middle of the house into the kitchen-dining area and out into the garden.
“There’s an awesome sense of space and light that hits you when moving from the front of the house to the rear. When in the dining space, you have a view out to the garden, back to the living room, across to the kitchen, and up to the sky and, at night, the stars,” he says.
The front living room has a stylish spareness. “We closed off direct access to the front living room from the hallway to make it an end destination, accessed from the middle of the house, and to improve the furniture layout,” Norman says.
The existing floorboards were sanded and stained, and now echo the stained cabinetry in the kitchen.
“The wall colors were chosen to contrast with the bright, light kitchen space and respond to the traditional nature of the house,” Norman adds.
Paint: Colour Makes People Happy
The existing floorboards were sanded and stained, and now echo the stained cabinetry in the kitchen.
“The wall colors were chosen to contrast with the bright, light kitchen space and respond to the traditional nature of the house,” Norman adds.
Paint: Colour Makes People Happy
The rear doors and windows were previously white double-paned units and a long way from what the clients desired. They were replaced with low-profile Crittall steel frames in keeping with the industrial feel of the rest of the space.
“Conventional aluminum frames, doors and windows would have likely had frames at least double or even three times the width,” Norman says.
Crittall doors and window: Metwin
“Conventional aluminum frames, doors and windows would have likely had frames at least double or even three times the width,” Norman says.
Crittall doors and window: Metwin
The back of the house merges traditional architecture with the industrial-style, low-profile glass bars.
External paving: Mandarin Stone
Builder: Gebouw Design & Build
Browse more Rooms of the Day
External paving: Mandarin Stone
Builder: Gebouw Design & Build
Browse more Rooms of the Day
Kitchen-Dining Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: Peckham, south London
Size: About 320 square feet (30 square meters)
Designer: John Norman of Mustard Architects
The primary focus with this project was to open up the rear kitchen and dining space, and extend into the side yard. “The whole area under the glass roof used to be external,” Norman says. “The aim was to create an elegant yet industrial space with a timeless quality to it.”