How we introduced light into a dark house

Heavy and Light House

How we introduced light into a dark house


Extensions removed: Two
Courtyards added: One
Bricks: Ketley Staffordshire Blue bricks and pavers

Addressing darkness is a recurring challenge when transforming late Victorian houses. We employed various tricks to introduce light into the heart of this home in north London that ranged from doing the opposite to the estate agent’s advice and drawing inspiration from a building in a motorway service station in Florence, Italy.

The existing house was hidden behind various layers of extensions

‘The renovation’s success is down to how the old and new elements came together seamlessly’, says Rosie.

'The courtyard adds so much light, and it's quite unusual; we love it' says Kieran.

Kieran, and his wife Rosie with their young children, took the opportunity to buy his childhood home that had been in the same family for several generation. The building had been extended by multiple additions and in theory this had added value through greater square footage. The reality was quite different as there was no clear flow to the garden, and the interiors were dark and poorly ventilated. Mulroy tackled this by removing all the later extensions and replacing them with a slightly smaller living room overlooking the garden, separated from the main house with a small courtyard. The courtyard was the key move that flooded the centre of the house with light where previously the existing rooms had no view of the sky. It also provides a visual break on the long walk from the front door to the garden.

Our inspiration for the route to replacement extension was the concrete-structured Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista on the outskirts of Florence, Italy by architect Giovanni Michelucci. Michelucci's church has a long, low-ceiling route that opens out into the dramatic nave that feels like the inside of a tent, despite its heavy concrete construction. In our smaller version, the route through the original Victorian house passes the new courtyard and then opens out into the replacement extension that is flooded with light from both sides and above. The curved ceiling of the new living room swoops upwards providing a view of the sky through a sky light and a soft and calming lighting effect to the interior.

‘It felt more honest to the house to have a deliberately modern extension and it feels very right. It gives us the clean, open-plan space we craved, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise,’ says Kieran.

The ceiling form and colour palette of the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista in Florence was an inspiration for the project - Photo: www.marianodeangelis.com

There is a temptation to paint everything white when faced with a dark interior, hoping that the increased light reflection will make things feel brighter. The reality is that such rooms will feel cold and soulless. Working with interior designer ALL&NXTHG, we developed a strategy to build on the soft lighting effects that we created in the new extensions. Earth-tones and natural textures are used throughout the existing rooms in the house, reminiscent of the original Victorian colour schemes, giving it the house a warm feeling. The rich colours give the shadows a depth that makes each room feel calm.

In contrast, the new extension is built from Staffordshire dark blue bricks from Ketley Brick, that are used for the garden walls and patio as well as the walls of the building. The colours complement the existing external colours of the roof and the colour that Rosie and Kieran picked for the original sash windows. The brick pavers of the new extension have an unusual diamond chequer pattern that adds the feeling of solidity, in contrast to the older red brick of the Victorian house and the original flimsy extensions that are now a memory.

‘This room is at the front, most traditional part of the house and we wanted to honour that with the moody green walls and smoked oak,’ says owner Rosie. ‘Having a library ladder was on our wish list, too.’