A larch-clad rear extension with vaulted ceilings provides a new light-filled kitchen, dining and living space at this 1930s home in the Wanstead Grove Conservation Area. When our clients purchased the property in 2021, the house had been untouched for many years and featured a ‘70s-style kitchen with bright orange worktops and cork flooring. Keen gardeners and parents to two young children, they were keen to open up and extend the existing kitchen and dining spaces at the rear of the house, connecting to the generous east-facing garden and parkland beyond. The design for the extension is conceived as two staggered volumes: the setback along the rear elevation opens up the south-east corner, taking advantage of the sun path throughout the day, and the roofs pitch down towards the boundaries on either side to reduce any impact on the neighbours. In addition to a new open-plan kitchen, dining and informal living space, the reconfigured and extended ground floor plan also incorporates a ‘service zone’ located in the centre of the plan, which accommodates a new downstairs loo, utility room and pantry. The external material palette comprises pale pink reclaimed bricks, oak framed glazing and vertical larch timber cladding, which weathers naturally to a silver grey, creating a soft threshold between house and garden. Internally, reclaimed parquet flooring was installed throughout, complemented by warm white walls and black kitchen joinery. Photography: © Pierce Scourfield