In the heart of the Primrose Hill Conservation Area, we have reconfigured an 1840s semi-detached villa to create a comfortable home for busy family life. At first glance barely visible, an elegant new building addition of handmade coal-fired bricks complements the historic streetscape. A second extension at the rear steps down to maintain the building’s elegant proportions. The first phase of construction involved securing the upper levels of the existing building whilst excavating deep into the ground to create two generous lower levels. These new spaces are characterised by robust materiality, fluid floorplans, and extraordinary generosity of volume. Deep shafts at the front and the rear of the house capture the sun from morning to evening, delivering plentiful natural light to the lower floors. The lower ground level of the house has been designed for day-to-day family life and socialising, with a stainless steel and walnut kitchen opening out into the beautifully planted garden. The new basement, in exposed fair faced concrete, contains a gym and family room with natural light channelled into the space by light wells at both the front and the rear. On the upper levels, rooms are kept at the original Victorian scale. Here, privacy and comfort are key. A set of bedrooms and bathrooms are finished with travertine and bespoke joinery. Our approach was to design the whole house with meticulous attention to materiality and detailing. The interior spaces are calm and legible, built of elegant yet robust materials throughout. The sense of completeness in the design has been further achieved through the creation of bespoke fixtures and fittings, including walnut joinery, blackened steel lighting pieces and a dining table. This is a house which has been built with longevity in mind, providing a naturally comfortable environment and high-quality, flexible spaces which will endure.