Chalk House
Chalk House
Chalk House is a carefully reworked extension and refurbishment of a detached family home in Putney. The existing building had evolved through a series of disjointed additions, including a two-storey side extension and an arched dormer that lacked cohesion.
Working within tight budget constraints, the design focused on rationalising these elements and establishing a clear architectural language. While earlier proposals explored a unifying pitched roof, the final scheme instead emphasises the ground floor, using form, material and proportion to bring clarity and balance to the composition.
New and existing elements are drawn together through a considered palette of chalky white brick and glazing, creating a cohesive identity that both integrates and redefines the original house.
“Working with Stylus was fantastic. They made sure that we ended up with a home that we love, helping us through each stage of the process with clear and insightful advice. Matt was full of brilliant ideas. Not only that, they helped us keep the project on budget and on time. We have already recommended them to friends.”
Client
Stepped Volumes
A strategy of stepping in both plan and section underpins the architectural response. The retained rear extension and new kitchen addition are unified through material and connected via a glazed link, forming a continuous yet articulated ground floor composition.
Lowering the floor levels within the new extension allowed for increased internal volume while subtly shifting the external proportions. This move gives the new elements greater presence, rebalancing the asymmetry of the original building.
The façade is further defined by deep-set glazed openings and expressed reveals, lending weight and depth to the elevations. These gestures are echoed in the landscape, where a series of stepped terraces extend the architectural language into the garden, reinforcing a sense of progression and movement through the site.
Above, a new two-storey glazed opening reframes the existing dormer, transforming it from an isolated feature into part of a coherent composition. This intervention establishes a distinctive, inverted asymmetrical ‘T’ of glazing, drawing light deep into the plan while visually tying old and new together.
Deep and Calm Kitchen
The kitchen forms the heart of the new extension, conceived as a calm and highly controlled space. Designed in-house, it is defined by dark-stained timber cabinetry with a concealed handle detail, creating a seamless and monolithic presence.
A restrained, monochromatic palette of white walls and polished concrete floors provides a neutral backdrop, allowing material contrast and natural light to shape the atmosphere. Subtle accents are introduced through the glazing frames, adding moments of quiet emphasis.
Environmental performance is carefully integrated, with concealed ventilation ensuring comfort without visual disruption. The result is a space that feels both minimal and warm – functional yet refined, with a strong emphasis on clarity, proportion and materiality.
Other Spaces
Beyond the primary living areas, a series of quieter moments unfold throughout the house. A reading space beneath the glazed link offers a contemplative threshold between volumes, where light and shadow shift throughout the day.
Bedrooms and bathrooms continue the restrained material language, maintaining a consistent palette that reinforces a sense of calm and cohesion. Geometry plays a key role, expressed through the interplay of solid and void, carefully framed views, and integrated lighting details carved into the architecture.
Together, these spaces create a sequence of considered interiors, minimal yet soft in character, where continuity, light and proportion shape the experience of the home.
