Design Buy Build

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Rates & Data
    • Media Pack
  • Digital
    • Information
    • Latest Newsletter
  • Issues
    • 2025
      • Issue 75
      • Issue 74
      • Issue 73
      • Issue 72
    • 2024
      • Issue 71
      • Issue 70
      • Issue 69
      • Issue 68
      • Issue 67
      • Issue 66
    • 2023
      • Issue 65
      • Issue 64
      • Issue 63
      • Issue 62
      • Issue 61
      • Issue 60
    • 2022
      • Issue 59
      • Issue 58
      • Issue 57
      • Issue 56
      • Issue 55
      • Issue 54
    • 2021
      • Issue 53
      • Issue 52
      • Issue 51
      • Issue 50
      • Issue 49
      • Issue 48
    • 2020
      • Issue 47
      • Issue 46
      • Issue 45
      • Issue 44
      • Issue 43
      • Issue 42
    • 2019
      • Issue 41
      • Issue 40
      • Issue 39
      • Issue 38
      • Issue 37
      • Issue 36
    • 2018
      • Issue 35
      • Issue 34
      • Issue 33
      • Issue 32
      • Issue 31
      • Issue 30
    • 2017
      • Issue 29
      • Issue 28
      • Issue 27
      • Issue 26
      • Issue 25
      • Issue 24
    • 2016
      • Issue 23
      • Issue 22
      • Issue 21
      • Issue 20
      • Issue 19
      • Issue 18
    • 2015
      • Issue 17
      • Issue 16
      • Issue 15
      • Issue 14
      • Issue 13
      • Issue 12
    • 2014
      • Issue 11
      • Issue 10
      • Issue 9
      • Issue 8
      • Issue 7
    • 2013
      • Issue 6
      • Issue 5
      • Issue 4
      • Issue 3
      • Issue 2
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login

logo

Design Buy Build

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Rates & Data
    • Media Pack
  • Digital
    • Information
    • Latest Newsletter
  • Issues
    • 2025
      • Issue 75
      • Issue 74
      • Issue 73
      • Issue 72
    • 2024
      • Issue 71
      • Issue 70
      • Issue 69
      • Issue 68
      • Issue 67
      • Issue 66
    • 2023
      • Issue 65
      • Issue 64
      • Issue 63
      • Issue 62
      • Issue 61
      • Issue 60
    • 2022
      • Issue 59
      • Issue 58
      • Issue 57
      • Issue 56
      • Issue 55
      • Issue 54
    • 2021
      • Issue 53
      • Issue 52
      • Issue 51
      • Issue 50
      • Issue 49
      • Issue 48
    • 2020
      • Issue 47
      • Issue 46
      • Issue 45
      • Issue 44
      • Issue 43
      • Issue 42
    • 2019
      • Issue 41
      • Issue 40
      • Issue 39
      • Issue 38
      • Issue 37
      • Issue 36
    • 2018
      • Issue 35
      • Issue 34
      • Issue 33
      • Issue 32
      • Issue 31
      • Issue 30
    • 2017
      • Issue 29
      • Issue 28
      • Issue 27
      • Issue 26
      • Issue 25
      • Issue 24
    • 2016
      • Issue 23
      • Issue 22
      • Issue 21
      • Issue 20
      • Issue 19
      • Issue 18
    • 2015
      • Issue 17
      • Issue 16
      • Issue 15
      • Issue 14
      • Issue 13
      • Issue 12
    • 2014
      • Issue 11
      • Issue 10
      • Issue 9
      • Issue 8
      • Issue 7
    • 2013
      • Issue 6
      • Issue 5
      • Issue 4
      • Issue 3
      • Issue 2
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Projects
Home›Projects›Arbour House

Arbour House

By Josh Holmes
November 22, 2017
2190
0

The client, a young professional, approached us to extend her small 1950’s infill terraced house in Peckham to create a more usable kitchen and dining area with a better connection to the rear garden. The existing house had particularly low ceiling heights and narrow, awkward living spaces. The client felt that the house had been built from poor quality materials which compared poorly with the Victorian neighbours. The brief was to create a bright and open living space with materials of quality and character.

nimtim took an ambitious approach for extending and updating this small and unremarkable house. Taking inspiration from the Case Study Houses of the 1950s, as well as traditional and contemporary Japanese domestic architecture, nimtim proposed an addition formed of a series of lightweight timber portals running both front to back and side to side. The timber structure defines a series of openings along the roof and onto the rear garden. This grid extends through the house and out into the garden; blurring the threshold between inside and out.

The design references the original Victorian property that was situated on the site before being destroyed in the Second World War; stepping back in plan to echo the original closet wing, while allowing the garden to extend into the living space.

Internally materiality was key; materials had to be high quality, with a distinctive, honest timbre – in direct contrast to those of the existing dwelling. The exposed timber portal frames are in Douglas Fir that creates a warm, pink hue, the floor is poured concrete and an exposed wall of specially selected long bricks runs along one edge of the living space extending out into the garden. A restrained, simple palette is maintained with the translucent white plywood kitchen with wooden and marble worktops. Every material quietly affirms itself independently and collectively.

nimtim architects and their sister company nimtim landscapes worked together from the beginning to create a design where the house and garden were completely integrated. A simple and bold garden plan proposed a large paved area of elegant and low cost pavers with a large planted area that mirrored the geometry of the house creating an axis that extends into the stepped plan of the house.

The beds were planted with prickly Berberis and large bulbous Hebes. Yellow Yarrow and Turkish Sage flowers give colour interest and height to the bed. A young pear tree provides a focal point at the back of the garden and a trellis with climbing honeysuckle hides a small shed and provides vertical interest.

www.nimtim.co.uk

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Related

Previous Article

A-to-Z House

Next Article

Casa SFA

Latest Issue



[Click Here to view the Low Res PDF version]

<center>
© Copyright Design Buy Build. All rights reserved.
MH Media Global uses cookies to ensure the best user experience. If you do not wish to allow cookies, please click refuse.