Cooking and eating in this small apartment is now like being in the garden.

The old boiler and other services, like the fridge-freezer and ironing board are concealed neatly away behind this wall of oak-veneered plywood. A new window in the side of the 1970s annexe casts light across the surface of the cabinets, creating a light end to the room, rather than a dark alcove. The window also provides background ventilation in a way that full-height glazed doors can't do.

1850s Apartment

Queens Park, London

2013

This very small extension and internal re-modelling allowed the back half of this ground floor apartment in Queens Park to open up to the garden. We took down the internal walls of the five square metre kitchen and made a big opening in the side of the room for a new frameless glass bay with sliding door to the garden.

The 1970s single storey part of the room was retained and insulated, with a new roof.

Warm afternoon sunlight now floods the room, reflecting off an antique brass pendant lamp, onto the ceiling.

Contractor: ABall Construction

Engineer: Osborne Edwards Ltd

Photographs by Studio Sam Causer