Newick Rd

Project Description

This project involved the transformation of a ground floor space within a Victorian house in Hackney, creating a generous rear extension with a strong connection to the garden.

A key move was lowering the internal floor level to achieve a ceiling height of almost three metres. This allowed the new space to feel open and expansive, while drawing in natural light through large-format glazing and tall, elegant doors.

These doors open directly onto a carefully designed garden, creating a seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces. Sight lines were considered throughout the project, allowing views from the front of the house through to the rear extension and out into the landscape beyond.

The garden was conceived as a layered, immersive landscape inspired by Japanese design principles.

A series of contemporary concrete raised beds step through the garden across four levels, guiding movement and creating a sense of journey. Floating steps lead visitors through a composition of mature planting, potted elements and carefully selected materials, introducing variation in texture, colour and scale.

Halfway through the garden, a timber and glazed sauna is discreetly integrated into the landscape, partially concealed within the planting. The journey continues toward a more open area designed as a children’s play space, balancing the calm, structured planting with a more relaxed and functional zone.

Design Approach

The project was driven by a desire to create:

• A strong visual and physical connection between house and garden
• A light-filled interior with increased volume and height
• A sequence of spaces that unfold from front to back
• A garden that feels both structured and immersive

By combining architectural intervention with landscape design, the house and garden were treated as a single, cohesive environment.

Key Features

• Lowered floor to achieve ~3m ceiling height
• Large-format glazing and tall garden doors
• Strong sight lines from front to rear
• Japanese-inspired layered garden design
• Four-tier concrete raised planting beds
• Integrated timber and glass sauna
• Floating steps and curated planting scheme
• Dedicated children’s play area