Kew Cottage
Category:
Residential
Location:
Kew
Year:
2023
Extending an existing heritage cottage, Kew House sees the shaping of a layered narrative over time, within a considered and curated framework. As an embrace of the existing, the new form takes heeded influence from the original silhouette and proportions, as the form is extruded to the rear. The resulting home becomes a conversation of space and light, where restraint is used to bring a contemporary sensibility within such a storied context. Through an emphasis on reducing the materiality across the site, a muted tonality runs as a common thread throughout.
In its own unique way, light enters the volumes at a higher level, allowing the home to remain as a resolutely private space for its owners. The creation of the home as a haven and place of retreat was an essential driver of the brief, where space, palette and connections to the natural elements reinforce a sense of calm. Bringing light in from above, sightlines connect to tree canopies and the changing sky above, allowing an engagement with the seasons throughout the year. The overarching lightness of Kew House is balanced by an imbedded warmth, creating a cocooning disconnect once within.
