Caroline Place is located in a quiet enclave of post war suburban scaled terraces to the North West of Hyde Park, with stock brick walls, terracotta tiled pitched roofs, projecting timber bay windows and a mixture of lead and copper detailing. Number 21 had last been remodeled during the 1970’s with the removal of original structure and detailing. Our client, a family of five requested some enlargement of reception and play areas together with dedicated rooms for music practice for the children and study for the mother a BBC Panorama producer. Our remodeling of the house leaves the owners with a degree of anonymity, the only visible modern addition being a new front door which draws on the high level of craftsmanship and materials found within. Patinated Brass, Cherry, Travertine and Concrete have been used to maintain a warm palette of materials. We have modernized and extended the existing building into the roof and basement linking to the old garage now study space via a secret bookcase door and passage. Natural light enters the basement via a large glazed conservatory and light well whose doors open in summer to take the travertine floored patio garden through into the ground floor habitable space. The basement is formed in concrete, the soffit of which is left exposed and the textured ‘point tooled’ finish alludes to subterranean material and form. A load bearing cantilevered travertine staircase rises from basement with its soffit left as found within the quarry to maintain the spirit of the earth bound stone while it spirals and rises to the top floor. The habitable shell is populated with floor to ceiling cherry ‘boxes’ housing bathrooms, wardrobes, folding and sliding doors with further pivoting bookcases and playfully revealing hidden rooms and creating bedrooms when friends and relatives come to stay.