A family in Ealing, with three children, commissioned Office S&M to refurbish their house and extend to create a generous living space on the ground floor and a new bedroom in the loft, so that each child had their own space in the house.

We created a “child-friendly” house in the broadest sense of the word, adding curves to the walls, a playful snakes-and-ladders bannister to the new room, and an arched window for each child. Meanwhile the adults are treated to a rich variety of materials, from encaustic floor tiles and glazed herringbone tiles, to fabric banquettes, plywood fingerpulls, and marble handrail ends.

A palette of colours and materials were used to reflect warm, yellow light through the spaces. By opening up numerous windows, a view to the hall, and a lightwell past the stair, this warm light created a feeling of volume in the existing Victorian house. Day-to-day and from season to season, the passage of time is marked by changing light conditions throughout the house. As the children grow up, the house will change with them too, with the rounded cedar shingles on the outside, weathering and changing colour over the years.