The project had begun with a relatively modest brief to fix piece by piece a family home that had lacked maintenance and services upgrade. Most importantly the house lacked much needed storage space to satisfy the changed requirements of the owner. When it became apparent that there was an opportunity to return the three-storey building to its former glory but with additional and improved living spaces, the design promptly steered its direction into a more coherent programme that needed to satisfy practical requirements as well as recalibrate an aesthetic approach that had been neglected. FPA wanted to create a home that closely and intimately reflected the people that live in it and with spaces that functions for them. The overall design succeeds in combining preservation, valorisation and innovation in equal measures. The historical layout did not need drastic remodelling but only small localised improvements. The additional living space was created via a hip-to-gable dormer extension under Permitted Development. The traditional materials used externally, London stock bricks and slates, find a counterpoint in the use of warm materials inside. Plywood, in particular, has been used extensively as wall lining, flooring and to fabricate bespoke carpentry and joinery in an attempt at exploiting the potentials and qualities of a very simple construction material. Materials and finishes have been chosen to be not pretentious but refined. Muted colours help to define spaces that are calming and inviting. The sparse use of one-off accent colours confers a sense of joy and fun to an overall project which is sombre yet sophisticated.