Dyne Road

Dyne Road comprised the complete refurbishment from top to bottom of a late Victorian home in North London. The project includes a new build rear extension as well as the construction of a new basement level complete with cinema room. Located in the London borough of Brent, Dyne road is predominantly a collection of generously proportioned Victorian style houses. Executed in modestly decorated brickwork with some minor design flourishes throughout, the houses have a collective appeal through a handsomely presented street scene which has been preserved carefully by the council through its inclusion in the North Kilburn conservation area. Prior to the refurbishment works the house was split into 3 separate self contained flats, each with their own kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms. This brought about an inherent need to remove surplus walls and services throughout ensuring that the home would not be overrun with pipework and partition walls. The external street scene demonstrates a refined understatement and this is something we wanted to explore further in the design of this project as we considered the alterations. The design called for a simplification of the internal plan form, removing walls and allowing daylight to flow further inward. The new intervention at the rear was subsequently designed to fit harmoniously with the existing house as a related extension of the building rather than something alien, not needing an over the top design move. A key philosophy of this scheme was modesty and restraint. A focus of the project was to create multiple communal spaces that engage the whole family whilst also creating opportunities within where the children can entertain themselves and friends away from the adults and vice versa. We were careful during the design process to provide flexible areas without banishing the children to their bedrooms if they wanted friends over, or the adults being confined to the dining room if they wanted a child free evening. This manifests itself in a number of rooms that offer flexibility for both age ranges within the family dynamic. The new basement level provides a utility and bedroom but also gave us the opportunity to create the cinema that also doubles up as a lounge/games room. The traditional reception at ground floor provides a quiet zone with comfortable seating and separation while the large kitchen/dining/bar area towards the rear at ground floor gives a truly flexible space for large family gatherings.