Located within an Islington conservation area, this compact roof extension, with its' fitted joinery and bespoke cantilevered stair, adds a bright space-efficient master suite and unique character to the Victorian terrace. The original house was a two-bed Victorian terrace with a study at the rear of the ground floor and a small study/box room extension over their stairs. A key concern was the desperate need to gain more space as the current arrangement was unusable for a growing family. The only viable option was to carry out a loft extension, but they knew that they wouldn't be happy with the resulting low ceiling height, based on the existing study and what they had seen others do. They were also unsure about losing daylight in the stairwell. Space and layout With the external volume making the best use of the conservation area limitations, the calibration of internal spaces was key to maximising the interior spaces' success. Our design removed the existing first-floor ceiling and constructed a new loft floor at a lower level. To maximise the lowered floor's benefit, we placed a raised curtain pelmet where it meets window heads, allowing the new floor to be lower still. As a result, we achieved a ceiling height of 2.2m in the loft while maintaining a decent 2.5m on the first floor. This lowering not only provided a better-balanced ceiling height between floors but also maximised the available volume for the loft, enabling us to fit a master bedroom with an en-suite shower room in the new extension. Another solution to maximise space was perimeter storage, as it takes full advantage of low ceiling heights. The bespoke fitted joinery declutters the master bedroom making efficient use of space and areas with a low ceiling. Despite the compact size, the new bedroom feels spacious and comfortable by exploiting the natural light and the views borrowed from the stairwell. Stair and light The house was dark and lacked a lot of natural light, the couple were worried that a new staircase and bedroom would be gloomy, but we made sure that this was not going to be the case. We put large roof lights in the master bedroom, allowing daylight into the room and increased the sense of spaciousness. The compact form of the feature staircase that leads to the loft minimises circulation space. The stairs are supported from a central structure and are detached from the walls, leaving a perimeter gap that brings extra light down to the lower floors. The stair design helped the couple in many ways as it solved problems of space, light and aesthetics with one gesture. The concept was embraced immediately and became a driving force in the project and a unifying element. BrothertonLock04-v3-full size.jpg Appearance and materials To complement the black metal of the feature staircase, we used timber extensively and made the joinery with Valchromat and birch plywood. We gave particular attention to the suppliers' sustainability credentials and the impact on the health of the occupiers by prioritising VOC free materials. The materials used are durable and timeless, precisely what the clients needed to help them fit the whole house design together and make the new extension feel like it was always there.