Architecture studio Proctor & Shaw has topped a home extension with a steeply-angled roof clad with red pigmented zinc in East Dulwich, London.

Home to a family of seven, Proctor & Shaw designed the project as an extension to an existing Edwardian house, extending the ground-floor kitchen and dining room.

In order to restrict potential onlooking from neighbours, the studio crafted a unique serrated-edged roof with exposed rafter tails to run alongside the extension – enhancing both privacy and daylight access.

"From the side, the serrated edge blocks oblique views from the principal first-floor neighbouring windows," Proctor & Shaw director John Proctor told Dezeen. "It is designed to be pulled back (with the shortest overhang) at the mid-window point to allow the maximum amount of light directly from above."

A newly built porcelain-tiled living space sits adjacent to the kitchen and dining room and is also sheltered by the roof's large overhangs.

Deep skylights punctured into the roof draw daylight into the space below, while sliding doors seamlessly connect the interior with an outdoor patio.

The interior space is defined by kitchen units and seating lined with warm-toned Douglas fir, which are contrasted by cool-toned concrete flooring and countertops.

A centralised services unit nestled behind the kitchen provides a bathroom and utility space defined by bold, pink-hued walls and matching floor tiles.

Built into a sloping site, level changes pose as thresholds – dividing the open-plan interior and exterior spaces.

Externally, metal steps lead down to the landscaped garden, which comprises a paved outdoor kitchen, seating area and outbuilding, designed in collaboration with Barbara Samitier Garden Design.

According to the studio, drainage from the gutter-less zinc roof, as well as the home's existing pitched roof, is provided at ground level to allow for a finely detailed roof edge.

"[The gutter-less roof] required careful navigation of regulatory requirements for rainwater drainage, which was ultimately achieved with the side roofs being kept small," Proctor said.

Other London home extensions completed by Proctor & Shaw include a glazed extension added to Sky Lantern House and a micro-apartment with a translucent "sleeping cocoon".

The photography is by Nick Deardon.

Project credits:

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Architecture studio Proctor & Shaw has refurbished and extended a Victorian townhouse in south London, adding a series of glazed volumes to the rear facade that allow daylight to reach deep into the plan.

The brief for the home, named Sky Lantern House, involved preserving the character of the existing building while making its interior more suitable for modern living.

Proctor & Shaw was asked maximise height and light within the reconfigured interior, as well as improving the connection with the rear garden.

Its interventions were focused predominantly on the rear elevation, while the existing south-facing front facade was preserved for heritage reasons.

"Early studies showed that massing could be added to the rear without impeding on neighbouring rights to light," said Proctor & Shaw.

"A series of carefully sculpted volumes were developed both within and across the back of the house that could enhance ceiling heights internally and filter light into the deep plan."

An existing staircase at the centre of Sky Lantern House was replaced with a stair arranged around a three-storey triangular void that allows daylight to reach each level.

The new stair has a visually lightweight folded-steel structure wrapped in planks of Douglas fir, with a minimal steel balustrade ensuring light can filter through.

The stacked glass volumes added to the rear of the house reference the irregular rhythm of the traditional dormers that are a feature of the Victorian terrace.

An underused bedroom on the first floor was converted into a home office that overlooks the living areas below. A void connecting the two levels is topped with a translucent glass box that maximises natural light and glows like a lantern at night.

"Rather than infilling this new room with a floor, a double-height space is instead brought to the heart of a grand family living space below, around which other rooms connect, enjoy views and borrow light," said Proctor & Shaw.

Externally, the Sky Lantern House extension is predominantly clad with vertical U-shaped glass panels. These function as clerestory windows at first-floor level and wrap around the solid walls on the ground floor to form a rain screen.

"The vertical format glass planks accentuate height, and their textured cast-glass finish allows soft light to bathe interior spaces without compromising privacy to nearby neighbours," the studio explained.

Slender steel columns that support the lantern-like box are hidden to create the illusion that it is floating.

At the front of the Sky Lantern House, the entrance opens into a hallway with a door to the refurbished lounge. Both the hallway and living area lead to the ground floor kitchen and dining room.

The kitchen and dining area connects with the garden through two sets of sliding glass doors, the largest of which are 3.7 metres tall. Its open-plan interior features integrated joinery and foldaway workstations for the client's children, allowing for flexibility of use while maintaining a minimal aesthetic.

On the first floor, the main bedroom was upgraded with walk-in wardrobes and an en-suite bathroom overlooking the extension's sedum-planted roofs.

Sky Lantern House's material palette consists of heavily grained wood complemented by decorative micro-cement surfaces with a chalky finish. The result is a cool and calm look with warm, natural accents.

John Proctor and Mike Shaw founded their south London studio Proctor & Shaw in 2014. It specialises in residential architecture, ranging in scale from extensions and refurbishments to large multi-unit developments.

The studio's previous projects include an award-winning extension featuring an oak soffit and a large skylight, and an angular extension that replaced a leaky conservatory at the rear of an Edwardian terrace.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

Project credits:

Architect: Proctor & Shaw Architects
Structural engineer: Blue Engineering
Contractor: VMS Construction Ltd

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London-based studio Proctor and Shaw has completed a 29-square-metre micro-apartment in Belsize Park, with an elevated sleeping area wrapped in translucent panels that reference Japanese shoji screens.

Called Shoji Apartment, the project involved transforming a first floor, one-bedroom flat into a compact, open-plan studio apartment that takes advantage of the original building's 3.4-metre-high ceilings.

"This apartment renovation project is conceived as a prototype for micro-living in existing housing stock with constrained floor areas but traditionally generous ceiling heights," explained Proctor & Shaw.

"We are by no means suggesting that this is a new typology or housing solution. However, perhaps the project might add to the ongoing debate about how quality of space might be 'measured', and what that could mean for future city living."

Two existing interior walls that previously divided the space have been removed to create an open-plan living, kitchen and dining area, with the existing bathroom reconfigured to include a walk-in shower.

The high ceilings generated the concept of "stacking", which sees the king-sized bed raised on a wooden platform in the corner of the room accessed via a set of wooden steps, creating space for a walk-in wardrobe underneath.

Sliding polycarbonate screens surround the wardrobe, steps and bed, creating a lantern-like "sleeping cocoon" that can be closed-off from the living area or opened up to views through the room's north-facing bay window.

"The innovative sleeping pod creates delight through new vantage points and a sense of sanctuary, whilst solving issues of limited functional space and inadequate storage," said the studio.

"Open or closed, illuminated or opaque, its surface and volume are brought to life in use, acting at once as a lantern to the wider room or a mezzanine with intimate views to the street."

To complement the effect of the polycarbonate screens, materials were chosen to bring a "subtle warmth" to the space, with soft clay plaster on the walls and ceilings and birch plywood joinery used for the kitchen, bookshelves and door surround.

A taught length of cable across one half of the room supports a feature pendant light that subtly demarcates the kitchen and dining space from the rest of the room.

New acoustic and thermal insulation has been added to the ceilings and walls, which also created space for recessed lighting and blinds.

Shoji Apartment was recently longlisted in the residential rebirth category of Dezeen Awards 2021, and another project by Proctor and Shaw, Quarter Glass House, has been shortlisted in the same category.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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Proctor & Shaw has completed an L-shaped extension with angular glazing that connects a terraced house in southwest London to its leafy garden.

The Quarter Glass House project overseen by London studio Proctor & Shaw involved the refurbishment of ground-floor spaces at an Edwardian property in Wimbledon Park.

The new extension replaces a leaky PVC conservatory at the rear of the terraced house. It contains a kitchen and dining area designed to fulfil the client's request for spaces with as much light and height as possible.

The project involved lowering the floor level throughout the entrance level and creating a gradually stepped transition towards a rear garden that is 1.2 metres lower.

"There's a lovely movement in this space," said the studio's co-founder Mike Shaw, "a gradual progression from the house through the new space out to the garden, articulated through stepped plateaus that give the clients distinctly separate zones despite there really being one large space."

Neighbouring extensions on either side of the site informed the design of an L-shaped addition with angular openings, used to optimise light levels whilst preventing overlooking.

The project takes its name from the triangular windows found in some older car models. Just like these cars, the Quarter Glass House features glazing that is custom-made to suit the building's specific requirements.

"The quarter glass forms came to the design naturally," added Shaw, "finding their way into the plan as we considered ways to ensure the extension was light but still considerate of the clients' and neighbours' privacy."

The four openings in the timber-framed structure include a clerestory window above the sliding doors to the garden, and a smaller window at the side that frames a view onto the garden from a wooden window seat.

A third trapezoidal window located toward the centre of the house looks onto a new courtyard. This space functions as a lightwell connected with a utility room that doubles as a guest WC.

The fourth opening is a triangular skylight set into the sloping corner of the extension and above deep downstand beams. This shields the interior from overlooking by the neighbouring house.

The brief for The Quarter Glass House called for warm and textural materials, so the interior combines exposed timber with muted copper surfaces and cabinetry painted a duck-egg blue.

The ceiling soffit is constructed from Douglas fir that is complemented by the copper-topped, birch ply kitchen island and the pale-pink microcement that was used as a wall finish and splashback.

Large, light grey floor tiles extend from the kitchen to the adjacent patio, creating a sense of cohesion between inside and outside.

The cabinets and drawers are from Ikea, which freed up some budget for premium details such as the kitchen island and a custom-made aluminium-framed dining table.

Proctor & Shaw was founded by Shaw and John Proctor in southwest London in 2004. It specialises in residential new-builds, refurbishments and extensions around the UK's capital.

Its double-height extension to a house in Lambeth, south London, was named London's best new home improvement project at the 2020 Don't Move, Improve! awards.

Other London extensions completed by the firm include one with a timber-lined snug overlooking a garden and another featuring faceted tiles on both internal and external surfaces.

Photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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A "beautifully understated" rear extension by Proctor & Shaw has been named as London's best new home improvement project at the 2020 Don't Move, Improve! awards.

Soffit House is the overall winner of this year's architecture contest, which New London Architecture (NLA) hosts annually to celebrate "the ingenuity of residential design" in the UK capital.

London-based studio Proctor & Shaw designed the winning double-height extension to slice through the existing dwelling in Lambeth, south London.

The scheme has provided the existing residence with additional living, dining and study spaces, and was praised by the judges for introducing more natural light inside via a large glass skylight.

It was also celebrated for its attention to detail, including the design of its level changes between the basement and garden levels and a warm oak soffit that marries the old and new structures.

"Soffit House is a wonderful example of how the space and light in a terraced house can be enhanced by good design," said the jury, which was chaired by NLA founder Peter Murray.

"This simple addition transformed the sense of space and connected the areas of the house with each other and the garden. A beautifully understated and generous home."

Don't Move, Improve! 2020 was judged by a panel including the director of the London Festival of Architecture Tamsie Thomson, Tonkin Liu's founder Anna Liu and director of Elliot Wood, Andy Downey.

It was open to any home extension or improvement project completed in the last two years, in any one of London's 33 boroughs.

Six other projects were also recognised in the awards, including 32 Laurier Road by Richard Keep Architects that was named as Urban Oasis of the Year.

The prize for Environmental Leadership was awarded to Three Rooms Under a New Roof by Ullmayer Sylvester Architects in recognition of its "refreshing approach" to a home renovation and use of timber.

Meanwhile, Oliver Leech Architects' won Compact Design of the Year for Vestry Road, which was commended for its "careful and imaginative use of space" and how it "sympathetically worked with the existing building fabric".

Disappearing Bathroom House by Manyu Architects, which took home the prize for Best Project under 75k, was also applauded for being "an excellent example of micro living".

This year, the programme also introduced two new prizes focusing on creativity.

The Most Unique Character Award and the Materiality and Craftsmanship prize were awarded to White Rabbit House by Gundry + Ducker and Apartment Block by Coffey Architects respectively.

White Rabbit House was praised by the judges for its "bold and playful personality" and "the drama of the iconic and contemporary staircase" at its entrance.

Winners of Don't Move, Improve! 2020 were selected from a shortlist of 25 projects, and revealed on February 11 2020 at The Building Centre in London.

Previous winners of the awards programme include The Chapel, a home created within the shell of a derelict religious building in Camberwell, and Sunken Bath Project, a garden room containing a sunken Japanese-style bath.

Soffit House photography is by Radu Palicica.

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Angular three-dimensional tiles have been used to create textural interest inside and out at this south London house extension, designed by architecture studio Proctor & Shaw.

Tile House is located in the neighbourhood of Clapham and has been overhauled by locally-based studio Proctor & Shaw to boast a "subtly complex display of pattern and ornamentation".

Its owners – a couple with two teenage sons – were displeased with the property's existing rear extension, and keen to have more expansive living spaces that are better connected to the east-facing back garden.

The studio completely demolished the old extension to erect a glass-fronted volume that accommodates an open-plan kitchen and dining area.

It's partially clad in pale three-dimensional tiles, which feature triangular facets that jut outwards at different angles.

Each one has been stacked in alternating directions, forming what the studio describes as a "rhythmic elevation of shadow and texture".

A rougher iteration of the tiles has been used to cover the base of the breakfast island inside.

"Internally the tiles are differentiated with a pitted surface to add a softer 'pillowed' effect to the furniture they clad, where externally the tiles are silk smooth to protect them from the elements," the studio explained.

Oak has then been used to craft a cabinet in the adjacent kitchen suite, and to form a long bench seat beside the family dining table.

Planks of glue-laminated spruce plywood are arranged in a grid formation across the ceiling of the extension, bordered by an L-shaped skylight that helps further illuminate the space.

"It's positioned so that the articulated roof structure 'floats' off the walls," added the studio.

Rectangular porcelain floor tiles by Dutch manufacturer Mosa have also been laid across the floor, mimicking the linearity of the planks directly above.

A splash of colour is offered by a timber-panelled partition at the rear of the space, which is painted blush-pink.

It provides a contrasting backdrop to the slate-grey sofa in the adjacent snug and helps conceal some of the utilities in the narrow corridor that runs off the kitchen.

Proctor & Shaw is headed up by architects John Proctor and Mike Shaw, and has been established since 2018.

The studio extended another south London home back in May this year, creating a timber-lined snug that its retired owner could use for reading or birdwatching.

Photography is by Megan Taylor.

Project credits:

Architecture: Proctor & Shaw
Engineer: Constant Structural Design
Contractor: Lucas Construction Design and Build
Building control: Quadrant Building Control

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Proctor & Shaw has extended the south London home of a retired teacher, adding a timber-lined snug that can be used for reading or birdwatching.

The London-based studio has remodelled the ground floor of the Herne Hill house, creating a larger and more open kitchen, along with the wooden snug. The two spaces frame a new patio, connecting the house with the garden.

With a width of 6.2 metres, the house is larger than most typical Victorian terraces. It was this that led to the idea of creating a snug in addition to the usual kitchen, dining and living areas.

The project is named Snug House in reference to this.

"The house is wider than standard and already had generous sitting rooms at the front, so it made sense to us for the new design to offer something different," explained studio co-founder John Proctor.

"Therefore a more intimate space, or snug, was discussed early on in the design process."

The space is lined with natural oiled ash wood to make it feel warm, but also to differentiate it from the kitchen. It is filled with natural light, thanks to a large window and a skylight overhead.

It gives the client, who is an avid birdwatcher, a space to comfortably observe wildlife in the garden.

"A box window was introduced from which the client can perch and enjoy the garden, and warm timber linings make the space more homely and cosy," said Proctor.

"It wasn't intended as a bird hide per se, but it is used a bit like that!"

The extension was built using a dark brick that Proctor describes as charcoal in colour. Dark mortar was also used for the pointing, creating a counterpoint to the sandy coloured London stock of the original building.

The ash wood lining from the snug also reappears, in the ground-floor toilet.

"We wanted the new elements to subtly contrast with the existing building and also the new interior, which is to be light, filled with timber linings," said Proctor. "Internally we wanted timber to be used on the walls to bring warmth and express the functional aspects of the design."

The new kitchen, a bespoke design from local company West and Reid, features oak veneered cabinets with dark linoleum-faced doors and a pale quartz countertop and splashback.

It creates a casual breakfast area in the centre of the space, in addition to the dining table behind.

Dark tiles by Dutch brand Mosa cover the floors throughout the extension, tying them all together.

"We like the Mosa products as they are highly durable and impervious to staining without any additional on site finishing, making them great for a kitchen," said Proctor.

"Whilst being a manufactured product, it actually has a natural patination which also softens the look."

Proctor and partner Mike Shaw founded their studio in 2004. Their other completed projects include a London apartment divided by a grooved timber partition.

Photography is by Ben Blossom.

Project credits:

Architects: Proctor & Shaw
Engineer: Constant Structural Design
Contractor: Lucas Construction Design and Build
Building control: Stroma Building Control
Kitchen: West & Reid
Kitchen counter: Silestone
Floor finish (kitchen): MosaTiles
Floor finish (hall): Mosaic Cement Tiles
Glasswork: L2i
Bi-fold doors: Schueco
Bricks: Ketley Brick Co
Shower room tiles: Diespeker & Co
Sanitary fixtures: Lusso Stone

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A grooved timber partition is the focal point of this pared-back apartment in central London, which Proctor & Shaw has decked out in ceramic-inspired hues.

Situated on the third floor of a four-storey residential block in Marylebone, the apartment has been completely reconfigured by architecture studio Proctor & Shaw, with only a handful of fixed elements and natural-tone surfaces.

The top floor of the period building, which dates back to the early 20th century, had been rebuilt in the 1950s with a concrete structural framework, following bomb damage incurred during the second world war.

This allowed the studio to freely rearrange the non-load bearing walls inside the apartment, where the clients wished to have a generous living area and two double ensuite bedrooms. The home had formally only played host to one bedroom and a study that were separated by a short corridor.

A full height partition wall crafted from light-hued battens of Douglas fir wood now runs lengthways through the centre of the 75-square-metre apartment, dividing it into living and sleeping quarters.

An open-plan dining and sitting area is situated on the apartment's front elevation, illuminated by four large sash windows that overlook the street.

One side of the room is dominated by the kitchen, which has been completed with almost-black MDF cabinetry and dark concrete countertops. Wheat-coloured straw chairs surround the steel dinner table, above which are suspended two exposed-bulb pendant lamps.

At the other end of the room is a white L-shaped sofa and armchair, perched on a beige rug embroidered with geometric shapes. In keeping with the neutral colour palette, a sepia-toned portrait and glass vase have also been used to dress the space.

"At the design stage the client supplied a Pinterest mood board which included images of spaces and materials that one might expect, but more interestingly also examples of their favourite works of art and ceramic objects," Mike Shaw, director of the studio, told Dezeen.

"We took from these a common theme of natural and softer earthy tones and textures set against quite bold tonal contrasts, which provided inspiration for the materiality of the spaces we have created."

Along with the home's refrigerator, two frameless doors have been imperceptibly integrated into the timber partition. These lead to the bedrooms, which have also been finished simply with Douglas fir headboards and side tables.

Micro-cement has then been applied across the walls, ceiling, and vanity units in the ensuite facilities, in attempt to create what the studio describes as a "sensuous, cocoon-like atmosphere".

Similar to Proctor & Shaw, Azman Architects implemented cherry wood partitions to a flat in London's Barbican estate, which can be drawn across to form a guest bedroom. The home also boasts neutral surfaces, but has colourful zig-zag carpetry inspired by fabrics from fashion label Missoni.

Photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

Project credits:

Architect: Proctor & Shaw
Contractor: Northpole Construction
Joinery: Dovetail Woodcraft
Building control: Cook Brown

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