Brixton Kitchen

This kitchen refurbishment and rear extension project transforms the rear ground floor of a Victorian terraced house in Dalberg Road, Brixton. An already-combined kitchen and dining area, modest in scale and short on light, especially for a three bedroom house, is extended and reimagined as a generous open-plan space, with bifold doors opening onto the garden, three rooflights flooding the interior from above, and exposed plastered timber joists giving the new ceiling its warmth and character.

The existing ground floor arrangement combined kitchen and dining in one room, but the space was tight and the dining area little more than a bar. The brief was to extend the footprint rearward and give both functions the room they deserved, a proper kitchen and a dining area that could seat the family comfortably and work equally well for everyday meals and informal entertaining.

The scope of work included the design and construction of a single-storey rear extension that significantly enlarges the kitchen and dining room, unifying old and new into one cohesive open-plan space. A completely new kitchen was designed for the extended space. The result improves the flow and functionality of the ground floor entirely, creating a room that feels considered and generous.

Natural light was a central driver of the design. Three rooflights are set into the flat roof of the extension, drawing daylight deep into the plan and animating the interior as the light shifts through the day. Together with the bifold doors, they ensure the new room is bright and airy in all conditions, a complete transformation from the original kitchen it replaces.

The ceiling of the extension is left deliberately exposed: the structural timber joists are apparent and unhidden. They frame the three rooflights with a natural rhythm, bring warmth and material honesty to the interior, and give the room a quiet character that a conventional plastered finish could not provide. It is a simple detail that makes a significant difference to how the space feels.

A large set of bifold doors forms the rear wall of the extension, opening the kitchen and dining area directly onto the garden. The connection brings the outside into daily life and allows the space to expand freely in warmer months, while maintaining a strong visual relationship with the garden throughout the year.