Project: Edwardian refurbishment by Studio AVC


An Edwardian period house in south west London has recently undergone an incredible refurbishment, thanks to Studio AVC – and all on a very tight budget.


London based architectural firm Studio AVC have recently finished a refurbishment on a terraced house in south west London. With experience in both architecture and interior design, the firm have previously covered everything from small projects to much larger scale buildings – Studio AVC’s director, Ayca Vural-Cutts, has previously worked with Foster + Partners (including on the Palace of Peace) and with Zaha Hadid Architects. So it should come as no surprise that Studio AVC's latest work is clean, open and worked within a tight budget.

The brief for the project was to enlarge an Edwardian period house, redesign the interiors and reinforce the foundations to turn the property into a modern, stylish family home. On the ground floor, this meant removing the existing walls to maximise space and light; it also resulted in creating views into the garden from all parts of the ground floor.

Light from the skylight above the kitchen adds to the available natural lighting, as does the full-height, glazed folding doors that lead to the garden. The kitchen and lounge space are now open plan, and have been designed for simplicity and function. Bespoke details and rich materials such as stone and light wooden flooring mean that the space is homely and modern; the light, minimalist colour scheme adds to the feeling and makes the ground floor feel very open.

As this is quite a small property, the challenge for StudioAVC was to use the limited space available to make each room as ergonomic as possible. This meant redesigning the bathrooms and adding a new toilet to the ground floor to maximise accessibility. The design also included new storage spaces which were created and arranged on the side walls of the ground floor; this allows the central space to remain open plan.

Upstairs, the loft has been converted into a master bedroom, complete with an en-suite bathroom. One wall of the bedroom is made up of full-height, glazed sliding windows with French balconies, which offer views towards the garden. The en-suite, meanwhile, has been equipped with a walk-in shower and has been painted in clean white to emphasise cleanlines and sophistication. Studio AVC also made clever use of the sloped ceiling within the bathroom by adding a skylight and a large free standing bath, giving occupants the opportunity to relax in their new space.

Outside, the Edwardian property’s rendered brick walls have been cleaned and repainted, in keeping with the rest of the street. The external walls of the loft and kitchen extension have been cladded in pre-weathered dark zinc panels – these were used, StudioAVC says, “because of its sustainability, distinctive appearance, and low maintenance requirement”. The existing window frames of the property have also been renewed to match the dark zinc as a final touch to compliment the aesthetic.

Type: Refurbishment/ New construction
Location/Environment: London, UK
Architectural and Interior Design: Studio AVC
Structural Engineer: Richard Tant Associates
Façade Consultant: RBA Mueller Ltd
Photography: Ashley Goodwin

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