Clapton Townhouse
- (handmade brick)
- (concrete)
- (tadelakt)
Magri Williams worked alongside design studio Daytrip, to develop and convert a London terrace house in Hackney, into three two / three bedroom flats. The works included a full width rear extension, first floor terrace, whole house refurbishment and loft extension. The client wanted a clean and minimal aesthetic, that provided an original design yet was also sympathetic with the local Conservation area.
The layouts were carefully configured to try and ensure that each flat could benefit from a connection to nature. A full width sliding door in the ground floor flat creates a seamless connection to the garden and floods the flat with light. The garden walls were constructed from the same brick and extend into the internal space to bridge the internal and external threshold. A large circular planter was cut out from the polished concrete floor to make space for a new river Birch tree. Behind this, tiered concrete planters offer a green back drop, creating a unique oasis.
Prominent architectural materials were selected so that the flats could be simple, yet strong in character. A handmade grey brick forms the new extension and extends into the flats internally to create a modern interior. To compliment the grey brick, a warm beige tadelakt plaster was used on the walls with a tonal kitchen to match and a light grey polished concrete floor.
In the existing part of the house, traditional features tie back to the extension’s material palette with hints of grey. The fireplace is a grey marble and the hearth a polished concrete.
The form of the extension is monolithic. A deep brick header frames the large sliding doors and brick reveals line the window openings. This language is brought inside through architectural detailing, with clean lines and shadow gaps used throughout the extension. A concrete ceiling is left exposed throughout the basement, creating an industrial aesthetic.
Photography by Elliot Sheppard and Jake Curtis