An Oxford house extension marks a departure from its historical context with an outline that evokes modernist architecture, featuring, at the same time, a distinctive decorative trim. Quatrefoil House, a project by Cardiff-, Swansea- and Oxford-based architecture studio Hyde + Hyde, is a newly redesigned family home in the heart of the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area. The original structure, a handsome yet in-need-of-repair early Gothic Revival 1870s house built by John Dover to designs by John Galpin and George Shirley, is generous, and this contemporary update adds bags of character to its already heritage-rich bones.
Quatrefoil House is a five-bedroom home, including a lower-level entertaining space, and a secluded rear garden. At 450 sq m, it's comfortable in size, featuring a sculptural, geometric timber staircase at its heart, which brings all its four levels neatly together. The stairway also acts as a lightwell, bringing natural light deep into the home's interiors. Richly decorated inside with dark natural timber hues, deep blue and green tones, velvet fabrics, a black metal fireplace and heritage herringbone parquet floors, the home's interior matches its external looks, and feels warm and welcoming.
At the same time, the architects translated the original building's Gothic revival style to the modern times through its exterior design, with the façade featuring a quatrefoil tectonic tile in steel and bronze across the extension's outline. The tile motif is complemented by a single white concrete column that supports the house's side extension. It is ‘an inverted copy of its Gothic window counterpart’, the architects explain, ‘embedded within the existing house façade. Both elements are entwined in an interplay between solid and void’.
The clients approve: 'The house for us, although a fabulous blend of new and old, is predominantly a comfortable and fun family home,' they say. 'The dichotomy of being all together as a family in the heart of the house and having the luxury of finding sanctuary in a secluded room, is the greatest asset of this transformation.'
-
Samuel Ross begins a new chapter with Zara: ‘Clothes give you the power to transform’Samuel Ross gives Wallpaper* a first look at his ‘multi-chapter design dialogue’ with Zara, which begins with a clothing collection launching this February
-
A new lakeshore cottage in Ontario is a spectacular retreat set beneath angled zinc roofsFamily Cottage by Vokac Taylor mixes spatial gymnastics with respect for its rocky, forested waterside site
-
Chanel has made a face massage tool from the husks of camellia flower seedsChanel Beauty’s new gua sha-inspired tool, designed by in-house experts for rejuvenating facial massage, is the latest launch from its sustainable skincare line, No.1 de Chanel
-
From a mobile pub to a thatched canopy: Japanese architecture and craft explored at AA show in London'Distillation of Architecture', a new AA show in London, pairs architects with materials and makers in an exploration of craft through the Japanese lens
-
A library in a London telephone box? This is a charming reading nook full of surprisesSet in a restored London telephone box, Upper Street Little Library is a cosy beacon to encourage reading to the wider community
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
-
Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
-
Fire-damaged Walworth Town Hall shows off majestic transformationWalworth Town Hall gets a much-needed reimagining by Feix & Merlin, who transformed the heritage building into a contemporary workspace and a hub of its local community in south London
-
Hanif Kara on building materials, the transition from old to new, and a healthy dose of realismHanif Kara, co-founder of structural engineering practice AKT II, discusses building materials and the future of sustainability
