Set within a residential neighbourhood in the Poet’s Corner Conservation Area of South London, a wide late 19th century terraced house has been renovated and extended by Oliver Leech Architects. The vision was to create a house that prioritised a connection to light and nature throughout. The main focus of the project was to strip back a dated 1990s renovation and re-organise the layout to create a spacious, long-term family home that now includes details including a wildflower meadow roof and vast overhead glazing. The result is a rational and relaxed home, tailored to accommodate the young family of four. The Victorian house, set within a conservation area in Herne Hill, caught the eye of Nick and Rebecca Croome, who sought a renovation project to define a home suited to their personal style without compromising on heritage and quality. With a vision of doing less but at a higher standard, they engaged Oliver Leech Architects through a friend’s recommendation, and worked closely with the studio to transform their dream into reality. The clients left the brief relatively open to Oliver, asking his studio to rediscover and retain the home's original Victorian character and charm, and introduce functional and contemporary spaces finished with natural materials and light throughout. The renovation of Poet’s Corner House is best felt in the flow of movement throughout the home. Oliver redesigned the home’s spatial arrangement, taking advantage of the generous width of the plot to introduce light and reorganise a new internal layout that better serves the clients’ needs. The pre-existing network of small, disconnected, dark rooms has been replaced at ground floor by a stepped plan complete with sitting room, music space and open plan kitchen-living area set within a new side and rear extension which opens onto a stepped landscaped garden, also designed by the architects. What the client said: ‘The house is warm and joyful, and welcomes a lot of activity with friends, family and guests. The design features feel modest enough to not interfere with the traditional character, creating a perfect balance. To us, it feels like a retreat to nestle down into, which we hope to do for many years to come."