Project Name
Zinc & Oak House, Pen-y-Lan
A handsome Edwardian house with a contemporary rear extension, characteristic of the Pen-y-Lan, Cardiff neighbourhood, this home retains its historic character with remarkable integrity. Tall, dignified it preserves an abundance of original Edwardian detailing throughout. This provided a unique opportunity to establish a dialogue between the building’s timeless elegance and a carefully considered contemporary intervention. The design concept began with the garden. Framed by mature fruit trees and benefitting from a south-facing aspect, the landscape became a central driver of the scheme. Large openings create strong visual connections to the garden, drawing natural light deep into the house and celebrating the unique outlook the site offers. The interiors were designed simultaneously with the architecture; designing inside and out. The concept centres on a series of contemporary oak joinery insertions that create long visual connections throughout the house. These crafted elements introduce warmth, texture, and continuity, while the zinc clad kitchen volume provides a cool, industrial counterpoint. Like the original house, which is distinguished by its rich detailing and careful proportions, the extension pays attention to contemporary craftsmanship. Shadow gap skirtings, oversized architraves, hidden blind fixings and finely resolved junctions create a subtle architectural language. The generosity of the ceiling heights and the sense of openness throughout the extension are informed by the Chinese concept of Liubai—the art of embracing negative space. Rather than filling every surface, the design seeks to create spaces that breathe, allowing light, volume and carefully framed views to become the defining features of the interior. The result is a calm and expansive home that feels deeply connected to both its historic fabric and the surrounding garden.
Photographer Becky Welford
Four Black Box House, Pen-y-Lan
Four new additions transform this Edwardian home, creating a contemporary extension that sits comfortably within the character of the original house. The ground-floor extension is conceived as three distinct volumes, carefully arranged to define different areas within an open-plan family space. Two larger volumes create a sense of spatial variety. The first provides a generous, light-filled living area, defined by an increased ceiling height and a strong visual connection to the garden. The second has a lower ceiling height and a large picture window, creating an intimate dining space with views towards the trees, as well as a closer connection to the planter and tall flowering plants. The third volume accommodates the utility room and WC, forming a more enclosed and functional element within the overall composition. A fourth volume takes the form of a loft dormer, providing additional accommodation within the roof space while maintaining a clear and cohesive architectural language across all four additions. The new elements are unified through a restrained palette of black vertical timber cladding and generous picture-window glazing at both ground and loft level. A discreet opening section within the dormer provides natural ventilation while maintaining the clean, uninterrupted proportions of the larger windows. Together, the four additions create a series of distinct yet connected spaces, extending and modernising the home while retaining a clear relationship with its Edwardian origins.
Photographer Becky Welford
Project Name
Triangle House, Dinas Powys
A rear extension designed to frame the sky and surrounding treetops. Beneath the expansive triangular glazing, wide horizontal openings draw views across the full breadth of the garden.
The generous ceiling heights create a sense of openness, allowing light and greenery to flow deep into the home.
Photographer Becky Welford
Interior Renovation, Pen-y-Lan
A considered interior renovation of the bathroom and hallway, where a restrained palette of materials is used in different ways to create a cohesive yet layered interior. The same tiles and resin sinks are reinterpreted throughout the spaces in different colours, creating an architectural language while allowing each area to develop its own character. Consistent use of oak wood further unifies the interiors, bringing warmth and continuity between the spaces. Lighting plays a central role in the design, carefully positioned to provide functional task lighting alongside softer, atmospheric illumination. The balance of light, material and proportion introduces moments of contrast and drama within an otherwise simple and calm interior. The result is a light, understated interior with a strong sense of materiality, where subtle variations in colour, texture and form create depth and character.
Photographer Becky Welford
