Greg Walton and David McGahon, directors at London-based architecture and design practice Studio McW, faced two intriguing challenges when they took on the renovation of this Edwardian house in north London: the first was their clients’ desire for a light-filled home that didn’t compromise on privacy, and the second was the need to complete the work in two stages.
‘It’s becoming more common for clients to ask for phased projects,’ explains Greg. ‘With rising construction and material costs, it often makes financial sense to split the works. For those who’ve just moved in, it also gives them time to understand how they use their home.’
This project, which they christened ‘Aperture House’ (a hint of their solution to the first challenge) was the first that their practice had approached in this way. Their clients were in situ during phase two, which added some complexity around finishing and decorating around them. ‘It was an interesting learning curve,’ adds David.
But back to the brief, which David describes as ‘nuanced.’ ‘Tom and Billy bought the home just before the pandemic and, after the first lockdown, found themselves acutely aware of the limitations of their ground-floor layout,’ he explains. ‘They wanted plenty of natural light but without large expanses of glazing or open-plan layouts, pushing us to find a spatial strategy that delivered light and connection without sacrificing privacy.’
The house was in a state of extreme disrepair when Greg and David first visited, but the Edwardian building had beautiful proportions and the existing spaces at the front of the house had great bones. A north-facing kitchen at the back, however, felt cut off from the rest of the home. The pair explored how openings and apertures in the façade, roof, walls and joinery could be used to create long sightlines through the house, while still zoning the spaces, allowing the family to be together yet apart.
Between the main reception and a new rear extension, a bespoke library sits at the centre of the plan, with an enlarged timber opening aligning views across the central courtyard into the extension, binding the house visually from front to back. ‘Whether working, cooking or moments of private relaxation, the house supports both active and passive connectedness without any space feeling exposed or compromised,’ says Greg.
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The studio worked in close collaboration with their clients Tom and Billy throughout the project. Tom in particular had a clear vision for the interiors and selected a lot of the materials and colours, with Greg noting, ‘our style leans toward clean architectural lines, so it was a lovely process working with Tom, whose eye brought a real softness and warmth to the finished spaces.’
As the main ground-floor living area is north facing, they wanted a warm, tactile palette to make the space feel comfortable. Soft terracotta floor tiles, natural oak and clay plaster ground the rooms while keeping air quality clean.
Timber runs through the house as a material thread – walnut stained oak in the kitchen, natural oak in the library and cherry in the bedroom – each distinct but part of a shared architectural language. Tom’s preference for clean, minimal joinery means the house holds their gradually collected art and objects without competing with them.
‘Delivering exactly what someone has held in their mind for several years and waited patiently to see realised is deeply satisfying,’ says David, adding that the phased approach meant nothing was rushed or compromised. ‘The result is a home with nothing superfluous in it, every piece carefully chosen, every detail considered.’ studiomcw.co.uk; @studiomcw
