Ingersoll Road House by McLaren Excell

This refurbishment and extension by UK architects McLaren Excell has me feeling weak at the knees. I’m talking interior detailing and material use that will knock your socks off. While the exterior is clad in vibrant corten steel, the interior is subtle, sophisticated and seemingly simple. Smooth concrete weaves its way through the house, emerging from the floor to create the kitchen island, seating or plinths.

I’m lusting hard over the concrete kitchen island that is the dividing element between two circulation paths. Through a series of step-downs and cut-aways, this monolithic beauty is all at once a food preparation bench, storage unit and informal dining table.

McLaren Excell managed to work around strict planning regulations to create an interesting building profile that maximises light. Large windows punch through the exterior to create a window seat for the kids to play on. I know what you’re thinking, as if this is a child friendly dwelling. I thought that too, however on closer inspection, the house is made up of surfaces and nooks at different heights for the little ones to inhabit. Anyway, here’s hoping that the clients have super well behaved kids who would never draw all over walls or concrete with permanent marker. Oh the humanity!

The upstairs loft conversion is a dialogue of old meets new. At the top, an existing Victorian banister collides with a solid hand rail made from Scandinavian Douglas Fir. These white-washed boards also line the floors, walls and form a pretty sexy study table. In this bright and flexible loft, exposed brick is used as a reminder of what this space once was and also introduces some texture and colour into an otherwise stark space.

The joinery detailing became a crucial component in connecting spaces and transitioning materials. I particularly love how the herringbone parquetry floor is carried through into the kitchen and is picked up again as a kitchen splashback. It was important that close attention was paid to how joinery units aligned with concrete junctions or picked up building lines. With a modest budget to adhere to, studio director Luke McLaren constructed and fitted the joinery himself enabling him to achieve the high level of accuracy and control that any architect would envy. They are now considering this approach to detailing and construction for future projects. Yes please McLaren Excell, if this is the result, bring it on!