In pictures: West London House by Goldstein Heather – clever extension with subtle historical allusions

Goldstein Heather’s West London House in Chiswick is no ordinary glass-box extension. This is an elegant yet monumental four-storey addition that doubles the size of the owners’ 19^th townhouse with an aesthetic that touches both past and future.

Homeowners Rowan and Angelina Bamford were already making plans to extend their Victorian terrace when the territorial army building next door came up for sale. Having secured the 1930s former military building at auction, they chose Goldstein Heather to replace it with a lateral extension. The aim was to create exceptional living spaces that would bring their family together and put an end to atomised family life lived in poky separate rooms.

Goldstein Heather is known for a preference for enduring forms, natural materials and historic inspiration over fads and trends. So the firm seemed like a good fit for a brief that asked for external contextual sensitivity and interior spaces that would feel perennial.

Mirroring the original

Externally, the extension adopts a lighter-toned yellow brick complemented by concrete poured in situ. This combination gives the new build its own distinct architectural language while reflecting the brick and render appearance of the original. The pattern of windows on the frontage of the new half of the house also mirrors that in the old, and there is a simple rectangular bay to match the Victorian one. Protruding string courses on the new half match those on the old. The new half departs from its predecessor in two key ways, firstly with a balcony on the fourth floor that has a striking set-back accordion-form frontage that breaks down the massing and introduces rhythm to the street elevation. Secondly, the wide doorway for the new half sits behind a large round arch set diagonally on the corner of the building, taking its cue from the round headed arch over the original front door but pumping up the scale.

All about the arches

The geometrical forms that articulate the exterior continue in the interior, where domestic, intimate spaces connect with communal areas filled with more large, rounded arches supported by solid columns. The arches lend a sense of permanence, gently nodding to Roman and Norman precedents.

The aim was to create large, fluid, interconnected social spaces bathed in natural light. Achieving the latter was aided by the fact the site benefits from east–west light and has a green square opposite. Goldstein Heather brought this light into the new build by introducing a double-height space that pulls daylight deep into the plan, and semi-circular clerestory lights that again hint at religious buildings past.

Handsome hardwood kitchen 

On the ground floor is the kitchen developed by furniture designer Sebastian Cox with Goldstein Heather. It features a long marble island with green veining and cabinetry with a distinctive crinkle-pattern that echoes the zig zag balcony but the natural ash joinery is the star: a reminder of the simple beauty of hardwood.

The 244m² extension functions almost like a separate house in its own right, but it is connected to the original home at each level. A curving timber staircase threads through one side of the home linking the levels. As you move up the stairs the landings progressively widen. The first floor opens onto a large landing, where a lounge space with an internal balcony overlooks the ground floor. The three children share an interconnected suite on the third floor, spanning the old and new sections of the house. The top floor is dedicated to a master bedroom with the zigzag balcony.

The exterior of this maga-extension is in the best possible polite good taste. In the interior, with all those arches, something else is going on: something old and something very new.