North Street

Our North Street project transforms a modest two-bedroom Victorian mid-terrace into a home that better supports the lives and ambitions of a young couple. The brief was to unlock the full potential of the house, addressing poor insulation and limited space at the rear, while creating a new kitchen that could support both everyday living and the client’s growing culinary business, Makan Malaysia.

The design centres on two aligned apertures that bring clarity and depth to the interior. A new opening in the wall between the living room and kitchen frames a direct view through the new rear aperture, positioned in the north-facing kitchen wall. Together, they establish a continuous line of sight toward the garden’s mature tree, offering a deliberate moment of connection that anchors the house to its landscape.

The kitchen itself is defined by the exposed structural steel that spans its length. Left visible rather than concealed, the structure expresses the intervention while introducing a subtle rhythm and hierarchy to the space. This steel line divides the kitchen into two distinct zones. To the west, a top-lit zone beneath continuous patent glazing, where daylight washes down the walls and surfaces. To the east, a more intimate area, shaded beneath the retained Victorian ceiling and animated by a newly positioned rooflight, carefully proportioned to balance light and shade.

This interplay of apertures, structure and light creates a kitchen that is both practical and characterful and a workspace large enough for cooking, testing and content creation, yet still connected to the domestic life of the terrace. The new room opens generously to the garden, strengthening the bond between inside and outside, while retaining the cellular quality the clients value.

The result is a sensitive refurbishment and extension that celebrates the house’s Victorian origins while shaping it for the future. A home and workplace designed to grow alongside its owners.

Client: Private client

Location: Caversham, Reading

Status: Completed 2025

Photography: Wing-Shun Tang