A strikingcomplete refurbishment and extension of a tired 1980s house tacked onto the end of a late Victorian terrace in Cambridge.

The overarching concept re-imagines the building as a mews home, accentuating its differences to its neighbours. The diagonally laid Siberian larch boards on the front porch are a signature statement, while the grey painted brick façade complements new aluminium windows.

The original house was cramped, its ground floor dark, incoherent and incorporated a garage. The new design strips out the interior and adds 80m2 of new space, creating a free-flowing, bright, light and airy family home.

The new layout harmonizes the relationship between the various spaces, their uses programmed with svelte fitted furniture made from a restrained palette of materials – limed oak, white Carrera marble, and black limestone.

The spaces are centred on a feature staircase of CNC-milled birch ply stained a rich red. Jewel-like in its double-height alcove, it seems to stand alone as a separate piece of furniture, signalling the heart of the home.