Harvey Road, a private residence in Crouch End, London, was renovated by Erbar Mattes by using soft tones of brick and wood materials. Located on a quiet residential street in Crouch End, the house is the home of a family with two children. 

The former ground floor layout was biased towards the front of the house, resulting in undefined open spaces, mainly oriented towards the street and a neighbouring infill extension. The re-structured and enlarged floor plan inverts this situation by refocusing the attention towards the garden. The deep plan was maximised by creating two complimentary living spaces - an active rear ‘garden room’ and a calm, enclosed drawing room - whilst providing ancillary functions in the darker central area of the plan.

The new ‘garden room’ houses the kitchen, dining and play area, with a deep upholstered bench along a folding oak framed window. The space is tectonically defined by the new oak-clad structural elements which bear the load of the floor above. These structural elements blend with the built-in oak furniture to define a simple and ordered space.

All images © Ståle Eriksen

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