Polysmiths completes a terraced house refurbishment and extension in Wanstead, East London

Combining structural arches, interior architecture and designs

10th Nov 2024

We are experienced architect and interior designers

Polysmiths is an award-winning architecture and interior design practice based in Camden, London. Our projects include news houses, house extensions, renovation and refurbishment, as well as boutique hotel, art gallery interiors, and restaurants. Most of our clients and projects are located in London, but we are also currently working in Berlin, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

We have experience working with private clients on building their new house, house extensions, refurbishment and renovation, from design, approval, detailing, to furniture design and procurement.

Case study: Our recently completed home in East London where the Client can be on holiday, every day

In the leafy East London suburb of Wanstead, a typical terraced house has been given a new lease of life by Polysmiths. Captured by the owners’ British and Gibraltar roots, Polysmiths employed various architectural and material design strategies that refine open-plan living, using structural arches to create a series of interconnected spaces for flexible live/work - all achieved within a tight budget and time frame.

The result is a low-waste, sustainable renovation that balances the buzz of modern London life with textures and warmth of the Mediterranean, with the owners saying they feel they are ‘on holiday every day’.

Typical of a London terraced house, the existing house had a dark corridor that connects a series of rooms to the rear, and a large west-facing garden that opens out to an abundance of nature and sky. This prompted the architect to seek out innovative ways of introducing daylight to the interior, and employ design strategies to connect the rooms with the outdoor spaces.

Arches as cost effective, low-waste renovation solution

Collaborating closely with the structural engineer, structural blockwork arches were used to support the existing loadbearing walls, thereby connecting the rooms at the rear of the house, creating a more flexible, open floor plan. It is a cost effective solution that reduces demolition, construction waste, while eliminating the use of costly ground beams.

Softness in texture and natural materials

Polysmiths opted to using tonally soft lime plastering, paired with floor tiles (with underfloor heating) and bespoke walnut joinery to create a coherent, warm interior. A semi-circular skylight over the Dining room, affectionately dubbed the ‘oculus’, traces sunlight across the home throughout the day.

Lime plaster is applied over acoustic plasterboards throughout, creating a soft mottled hue, and reduces echo and noise reverb across the flexible living space. Several pieces of bespoke joinery were also designed by Polysmiths in collaboration with specialist joiners for the kitchen and dining room, using walnut as material for its deep warmth and varying wood grains.

With the savings from a streamlined material palette, the owners were able to invest in a red travertine stone kitchen island that forms the heart of the house. With its rich colour and striking vein texture, the kitchen island serves as a dramatic centre point for gathering and entertaining.