Like the lens of a camera, a picture window frames the view onto the garden of this early Edwardian townhouse. Outside, a planter filled with wildflowers and wild grasses blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, while inside a birch plywood window seat defines the dining area. A large pivot door opens directly onto the rear garden.
A film producer commissioned us to transform and extend this Richmond home for their young family. The contemporary ground floor rear extension consists of two asymmetric interlocking volumes clad in black zinc, creating a sculptural form that juxtaposes the existing architecture. A large frameless rooflight animates the space below in light and shadow; the exposed Douglas fir beams, finished in white oil, celebrate the structure of the extension by creating a sense of rhythm.
The colour palette is deliberately pared back and monochromatic, setting warm timber tones against a seamless microcement floor finish and rich, black-dyed MDF framed in birch plywood, echoing the dark zinc cladding outside. A built-in nook in the bespoke joinery provides a dedicated desk and homework area, nestled into a corner of the multifunctional living space. The verticality of the zinc cladding is further continued into the joinery through the birch ply fins, creating a harmonious whole.
EnkiLike a finely tuned piano, Will Gamble hits the right notes every time. Perfectly euphonious when it comes to nailing an architectural brief, his understanding of site and people is second to none. A quick scan of the architect's website reveals a sympathetic portfolio of family homes where the past and present exist in harmony – and his latest project, Filmmaker’s, is no different.
Publications
Dezeen, Enki Magazine, Archello