Light-Filled Living: Southgate Extension in North London
Eleni, Andreas and their young family live in a four-bedroom Victorian terraced property in North London. They approached Model Projects to design a modern, open-plan kitchen and dining area that the whole family could enjoy.
Project Year: 2015
Country: United Kingdom
The brief was to create a side-to-rear extension, forming a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining, and family snug area. A key design principle was to respect the character of the original Victorian property, while introducing a light-filled, contemporary space.
To achieve this, the Model Projects design team proposed a palette of traditional yellow London stock brickwork, a flat roof, and a clean, understated stone parapet detail.
To maximise natural light, the design incorporated a large two-panel, full-height sliding door to the rear, complemented by a pitched glazed roof along the side return. An LED strip light was added around the edge of the rooflight in a shadow gap detail, creating a soft, ambient glow in the evenings.
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Click Through Gallery
Key Design Features
As you enter the home through the front door, the original hallway and traditional staircase remain intact, with the front reception room retaining its charming period features.
A rear and side extension was added beyond the original dining room, opening up into a spacious, light-filled kitchen, dining, and living area. The kitchen is simply and elegantly styled with satin, handleless grey cabinetry and crisp white worktops. A large central island complete with a sink and seating for four acts as a natural divider between the kitchen and the dining and living zones beyond.
Above the dining area, large rooflights flood the space with daylight, creating a bright and welcoming place to gather. Full-height sliding doors at the rear offer uninterrupted views out to the patio and garden, seamlessly connecting the interior with the outdoor space.
Route to Planning
Model Projects chose to make use of the property’s Permitted Development Rights. As the proposed extension exceeded 3 metres in depth, a Prior Approval application was required.
Following this, a Certificate of Lawfulness was submitted to confirm the proposed rear extension met the criteria of Permitted Development. Planning permission for the single storey rear extension was successfully granted under Class A; enlargement, improvement or alteration of a dwellinghouse.
