Highbury Hill | ben adams architects

Refurbishment and extension of an existing, semi-detached Victorian house in Highbury, home to a musician couple. The house is 5 stories, including the lower ground floor, and was previously divided up into separate flats. The proposal was to return the house into a single family dwelling, introducing a lower ground floor extension and a terrace to the third floor. The ground floor was opened to form an open plan living, dining and kitchen space, bedrooms on the first floor, and an impressive master bed, bath and study occupying the second floor. In order to allow the couple to work from home, a recording studio was introduced into the lower ground floor. Both the front and rear garden have been redesigned to extend the house outdoors. The immediate area is primarily residential, with shops, restaurants, and other amenities a short walk away. A large park and the Arsenal football stadium are nearby. The house is of brick construction, with a timber framed, slate covered roof. Floors are timber joists with timber floor boards. Windows are timber sash. The client wanted to open up the house as much as possible, for which brick construction is not a natural fit. Steel work had to be introduced throughout to create open plan living spaces in the kitchen and living room and the master bedroom. The timber floors were another design issue as sound insulation was an important feature for the client.