London-based OEB Architects has completed Lewisham Loggias, a colourful loft extension that takes cues from Italian palazzos and paintings.
The project adds an extra floor to the south London home of a couple, Isabel and Jamie, and their growing family.
The loft extension features a pair of colonnaded bay windows
OEB Architects designed the extension to reflect the proportions of the Victorian property and reference the couple’s memories of holidaying in Italy.
This resulted in a pair of colonnaded bay windows featuring red and yellow details, and a “zinc swoop” containing a new staircase.
The design includes red columns and yellow architraves
According studio founders Tessa Baird and David Eland, the project demonstrates that “lofts don’t always need to be plain slate or metal boxes”.
“We like it when a loft extension continues some of the personality of the building below and its inhabitants, rather than pretending to blend into the roofscape,” Eland told Dezeen.
A bedroom is located on one side of the loft
Baird and Eland kickstarted the design process by asking their clients to compile a mood board of artworks, spaces, objects, details, materials and atmospheres that had caught their attention.
“One of the most exciting parts of our job is to see how these references can combine with the more functional aspects of a brief,” said Eland.
“Isabel and Jamie responded really well to this task, preparing a rich collection of references including memories of holidays, times with family, art they liked and little details on the house they enjoyed.”
The gable end wall features a round window
Italian art and architecture was a recurring theme, prompting OEB Architects to develop a dormer with an ornate, symmetrical facade.
Architraves were painted yellow, while columns were picked out in red.
Eland said the aim was to create a palette with “a balance of bold and soft, earthy colours, and with moments of structure mixed with moments of playfulness”.
The square-section columns were rotated by 90 degrees, creating edge details in keeping with the dog-tooth brickwork of the eaves below.
A “zinc swoop” contains a new staircase topped by a skylight
The loft extension adds a new primary bedroom suite to the house.
The bedroom aligns with one of the two dormers, while the other provides an en-suite bathroom with a walk-in wardrobe behind.
A new staircase sits within the curved zinc-clad volume in between the two dormers, with a skylight above bringing in plenty of daylight.
In the bathroom, a circular mirror reflects the window on the opposite wall
The interiors are just as quirky as the exterior. Highlights include a chequered tile floor, a freestanding green bath, fluted sconces and a mirror that mimics a circular window on the opposite gable wall.
The house’s elevated position means that Lewisham Loggias is visible from the surrounding streets.
Details include a green bath and a chequered tile floor
The architects hope the project shows how a loft extension can have its own character without overshadowing the existing architecture.
“The more expressive details around the windows felt right for the dramatic setting of the new loft extension overlooking the edge of a historic brick quarry,” added Eland.
Other loft extension projects in London include the pink-toned Narford Road loft by Emil Eve Architects and the Japanese-inspired Leaf House by Szczepaniak Astridge.
The photography is by Taran Wilkhu.
Project credits
Architect: OEB Architects
Structural engineer: Bailiss & Co
Main contractor: John D
Approved inspector: Stroma
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