Architect Phil Coffey opened up his narrow Victorian terrace with an inventive use of skylights and storage solutions…

There is little doubt that the humble Victorian terrace still holds a place in the hearts of many of us, with these iconic rows of workers’ cottages still maintaining a premium over more modern builds. But this love of neatly ranked brick exteriors does not always extend to the inside of these homes, as many of them are cramped and dark, designed for life more than 110 years ago.

Phil Coffey may admire the exterior design of a classic Victorian terrace, but as he is an architect known for his clean, modern design, he was never going to simply move in, put up some shelves, repaint the house in fashionable hues and sit back and enjoy the period features.

Instead, he re-imagined his factory workers’ home in Islington, north London, as a 21st century urban retreat that made use of every square millimetre, while not compromising its heritage.

Keep it simple
‘My wife Tamsin and I were living in Islington in a flat and we were looking for somewhere in that area,’ says Phil. ‘We wanted a west-facing garden as you get a lovely view of the skyline in these houses. We had a choice of two places on this street, however, one across the road was east-facing, so we decided on this one, even though it was smaller. I had a vision in my head of brick and concrete – a simple Japanese style. However, the house was a two-up, two-down, so we didn’t have a lot of space to work with. We extended into the loft and opened up the ground floor. We now have two bedrooms on the first floor and one bedroom up in the loft with an en-suite bathroom. This is our guest room and it can also be used as an office.’

The result is a stripped-back effect, which could look bare and cold, but is extremely cosy and welcoming. A cleverly constructed fireplace in the knocked-through living space contrasts well against the harshness of the concrete, while a beautifully designed open staircase provides a surprising focal point rather than a clichéd feature wall. Simple wood dining furniture and bare floors enhance the Japanese minimalist style. A large wall and floor lamp offer focal lighting, creating a soft, relaxing ambience in the living room.

Illusion of space
‘We don’t really like decoration inside as such, so wallpaper was out, which is also practical in a small space,’ says Phil. ‘The floor space is more or less exactly 100 square metres. These houses are narrow, so when you take the plaster away from the walls you gain about 100mm, which is a large amount in this space.

‘This was originally a home for the factory workers in the area, therefore the houses were built out of the rubble left after building the posh places up the road. Therefore, we had to rebuild quite a lot of the wall on one side.’

Phil has built storage into the design where he can, utilising dead space in the bathroom and taking advantage of joinery needed to hide services to carve out more cupboards. An illusion of roominess is created with white mosaic tiles and a corner skylight, which lets sunlight pour through. The exposed brick wall also prevents the room looking too sterile. 

But what is most important to Phil’s design is the use of light – and darkness – with skylights providing sunlight from above or the chance to gaze up at the starry night sky. ‘When you first come into the house, especially at night, you see all the way to the back of the property,’ says Phil. ‘You get an impression that the house is bigger than it is. From the bottom of the staircase you look up and see the sky, getting an eight-metre view up. It is fantastic to live it – I absolutely love it.’

www.coffeyarchitects.com

Interiors

From top to bottom:

1. Instead of being restricted by a small bathroom, the built-in storage cupboards maximise available space and keep things neatly tucked away.
2. The large Potence Wall Lamp by designer Jean Prouvé makes for another great focal point in the living area and can be swivelled to provide lighting where it is needed and to change the mood of the room.
3. Phil has also chosen large concertina windows in the loft space, which are matched by the doors in the main living area, thus allowing for maximum natural ventilation as cool air is drawn in and warm air expelled.   
4. The skylight also throws in plenty of light through the open stairs, while enhancing the exposed brickwork.

Sarah says...  ‘Back in the 1950s it was considered extremely hideous to hide the detailing of Victorian terraces inside. Victorian fireplaces went in the skip. In terms of detailing, it did go out in a very big way. But now it is back.’