Lucerna House
Lucerna House
Lucerna House is the complete transformation of a tired Victorian property, reimagined to bring space, light and cohesion to a previously fragmented home. The project includes a rear single-storey extension, a roof extension, a reconfigured lower-ground floor and a full interior remodel.
Stripped back to brick, the house was reconceived as a series of interconnected volumes defined by clarity, warmth and calm contemporary character. The design focuses on spatial generosity, long sightlines and subtle moments of alignment that create quiet drama throughout.
"We have absolutely loved working with the entire Stylus team. Their ideas for our home went far beyond anything we could have imagined, and we still have to pinch ourselves when we look around our beautiful house and realise it’s truly ours. They have completely transformed the spaces. The light and sense of space we now enjoy is simply incredible."
Client
Light, Texture and Form
Light was the primary organising principle. At the rear, a refined glass box wraps the dining area, maximising daylight and strengthening the relationship with the garden. The enclosure allows the banquette seating to sit closer to the boundary, freeing up circulation space and ensuring the route to the large pivot door remains uninterrupted. Movement through the ground floor feels intuitive and generous, with views stretching from front to back.
Glass elements are used throughout to define volumes without enclosing them, drawing natural light deep into the plan. Lowering the floor at the lower-ground level enhances ceiling height and improves the garden connection, while also enabling precise spatial alignments, most notably between the kitchen shelving and the internal timber-framed window above. These moments of visual continuity lend the house a sculptural quality, where form and proportion are carefully choreographed.
Shape Texture Colour
Materiality plays a central role in grounding the architecture. A run of full-height ribbed timber cabinetry conceals appliances, pantry storage and a bar, bringing rhythm and warmth to the kitchen’s generous volume. Polished concrete floors provide contrast and a sense of calm restraint.
A deep green anchors the kitchen island and reappears in the adjoining reception room, creating cohesion across spaces. This middle room functions as both snug and home office, overlooking the kitchen through a large oak-framed internal window. Concealed joinery allows the media unit to disappear behind panelled doors, maintaining clarity and composure when closed. The deliberate interplay of timber and green, each alternating as accent and backdrop, establishes a balanced dialogue of texture and colour throughout the home.
Extension in Scale
Externally, the rear extension is deliberately refined and restrained. The glazed volume reads as a contemporary insertion against the Victorian brickwork, light in expression yet confident in scale. Its transparency reduces visual mass while maximising width internally, allowing the extension to feel expansive without overwhelming the garden.
Full-height openings strengthen the connection to the outdoors, with the kitchen door folding flush against the brick wall to maintain uninterrupted views across the depth of the house. The intervention respects the proportions of the original building while clearly expressing its own identity — a considered addition that enhances both light and spatial quality without competing with the historic fabric.
New Views
The reconfiguration of Lucerna House was driven by the desire to create deliberate sightlines through the depth of the home. From the moment you enter, the eye is drawn forward through layered thresholds, across shifting volumes and out towards the garden beyond.
Openings are carefully positioned to frame space rather than simply divide it. The internal oak framed window between the reception room and kitchen creates a composed visual connection, allowing each space to borrow light and character from the other. When the rear doors are open, the house reads as a continuous sequence, with glazing and aligned joinery reinforcing a sense of depth and cohesion. These framed views give the interior a quiet drama, turning everyday movement into a spatial experience.
The Green Room
At the centre of the plan sits a room defined entirely by tone. Wrapped floor to ceiling in a deep green, this space forms a moment of immersion within the otherwise restrained palette of timber, glass and concrete. While green accents appear throughout the house, anchoring the kitchen island and punctuating key details, here the colour is full bleed, creating intimacy and focus.
Functioning as both snug and workspace, the room balances enclosure with connection. The large internal window maintains visual dialogue with the kitchen, while concealed joinery allows the space to shift effortlessly between calm retreat and media room. The saturation of colour gives the room a distinct identity within the broader composition, forming a grounded core from which the lighter spaces unfold.
