Outside of the extension, the Victorian house’s interior appears largely unchanged. However, NOJI Architecture added a long window to the hallway that connects the extension with the entrance. Light from the extension flows into the rest of the ground floor and connects the new space to its environs.
A custom OIKOS Furniture window seat is nestled between the extension’s large windows and its latticework structure. Built out of glue-laminated plywood beams, the extension’s diagonal grid provides structural support and visual interest.
NOJI’s extension houses a brand new kitchen that is anchored by Oikos Furniture cabinetry and a basalt volcanic stone countertop. The kitchen’s fired earth tile backsplash stands out against its plywood surroundings. The island features a Franke sink and Quooker faucet.
The façade of the two-story Victorian home remains unchanged, hiding the extent to which its opposite end has been transformed. NOJI Architects was tasked with remedying the lack of light from the property’s rear garden.
Abutting the kitchen, the owners’ existing dining chairs, table, and bench have found a new home beneath the extension’s glass planes and plywood structure. Reflective white Terrazo floors further accentuate the airiness of the open-concept extension.
The rear extension, which replaced a somber conservatory, is composed of a series of intersecting triangular planes that draw light into the home. Transitioning from the extension to the garden, chairs and a table by Ikea sit on the cedar-clad deck. In the garden, a bespoke bench by OIKOS Furniture is perched above the granite paving stones.
The concave floor of the reading room also defines the shape of the library. Shielding the reading room from the street, it also opens the library up to the full-height window that occupies its rear façade. The library’s bookshelves were all custom built to accommodate voids for the studio’s windows and mirrors.
The floor of the studio’s upper level curves upwards, enveloping occupants in a calming reading room. The ceiling of the reading room was gilded in gold-leaf to provide warm reflections and augment the sense of space. Natural light shines in from skylights along the studio’s front and rear edges.
A constellation of slit windows perforates the studio’s side, giving its exterior a unique character and bringing light into its three levels. In the second-floor library, the window openings are integrated into the structure of the bookshelves.
The studio’s second floor serves as a library. The sunken bathtub offers interrupted sightlines across the space and out into the backyard. The tub, like the library’s floor, is made of concrete.
The façade is wrapped in 3-millimeter-thick silicon impregnated fiberglass fabric. This produces its unique, translucent glow while also ensuring that light is transmitted to the interior and the owners' privacy is protected.
The studio replaces a single-story garage, which was demolished so this project could be built. Its ground level still serves as a carport, but the upper levels now house a library and reading room. The studio connects to the home via a stair landing between its first and second levels.
Full-height glazing caps the central living area. A rigid steel frame concealed within its wood envelope allows for uninterrupted sight lines and creates a single, open-plan living space.
A rear deck is nestled behind the central cabin, flanked by the sleeping quarters. Inside, the dining table sits beneath a single hanging lamp.
A shed provides storage for the owners’ tools as well as wood for the fireplace. It features the same aged pine finish as the main home.
With their matching peaked roofs, every cabin nods to the traditional form of countryside retreats. The cluster’s pine cladding has been treated to speed up the aging process, giving it a warm patina.
The auxiliary cabins contain the sleeping quarters. A ladder leads to a sleeping loft underneath a gabled ceiling. The cabin’s bathroom is situated beneath the loft and features clean white fittings and tile.
The family retreat abuts a rocky cliff in Herfell, Norway. The central cabin provides communal living spaces, while the two cabins that flank it are used as private sleeping quarters.
The dining room is accessible through custom timber and glass sliding doors. Thanks to a glass-to-glass joint in the corner, the extension appears to be supported by the glass itself. The elegantly slim structural column, which has been set back from the corner, only enhances this feeling of weightlessness.
The dining area looks out directly at the garden with only a solitary hanging light interrupting sightlines. Eames fiberglass chairs surround the dining table. Pale finishes, including the wood flooring by Reclaimed Flooring Company, further augment the sense of airiness.
While the extension centers on the dining area, its ample openings bring light pouring into the rest of the house as well. The kitchen is the biggest beneficiary of this reconfiguration. Opening up directly onto the dining area, its crisp cabinetry and finishes are now bathed in light.
In addition to blurring the line between house and garden, the extension’s frameless glass wall fully surrounds the dining area. An antique Tibetan console contrasts with the dining area’s modern furnishings, providing a welcome touch of color and texture.
With the deliberate exception of its glass wall, the addition blends in seamlessly with the existing Victorian home. Its bricks were repurposed from the demolition process as were the windows for the upper level’s new bedroom.
The home’s forms, which are masked by the cantilevered entrance, become apparent once one enters the central courtyard. Living spaces abut three of its sides, looking in with full-height windows. The roofline can be seen fluctuating as one goes from front-to-back. The memorial tree, around which the courtyard and home are built, will continue to grow in coming years.
The living room also opens onto a private terrace, concealed within the entrance’s cantilevered form. It serves as a secluded space to take in the sun. Thanks to the sizeable opening between the living room and terrace, it brings yet more light into the home. The terrace’s table and chairs are from Ikea.
The living room is situated across the courtyard from the kitchen and dining room. Actus’ Graham sofa and beige carpet provide soft textural touches. The wall console was designed by Apollo Architects and Associates and created for the site by Zousakukagu.
The table, chairs, and bench in the dining area all come from Actus. Their walnut finish harmonizes with the ceiling’s Oregon pine louvers. The ceiling’s pitch and the direction of its louvers guide the eye down towards the central courtyard.
In the kitchen, black cabinetry and countertops from Swan Company offer a crisp counterpoint to the house’s white walls. Appliances from Swan Company and a Santini faucet ensure that the space is also functional.
The façade designed by Apollo Architects and Associates features an overhanging upper level, which ensures that the entrance is pleasantly shaded and demarcates the property’s two parking spaces. The home’s wooden structure is clad in a bright white exposed concrete.