Dezeen Magazine

Jamie Fobert adds two floors under House in Primrose Hill

Jamie Fobert Architects has overhauled a Victorian house in north London, creating new basement floors that provide a light-filled living room and a travertine-lined swimming pool.

While the exterior of House in Primrose Hill looks much the same as it did before, the renovation has completely transformed the interior to create a spacious, five-bedroom family home.

Exterior of House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
The exterior of the house is largely unchanged

Jamie Fobert's design makes careful use of glazed walls, lightwells and skylights, to ensure the new spaces feel as bright and comfortable as the rest of the house.

"Like many Victorian houses, the building had been altered over time," Fobert told Dezeen.

Lounge and entrance to House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Two new floors have been slotted in under the existing structure

"It had been turned from a single-family house into a number of flats, which meant that almost all of the original internal features of the house had been destroyed," said the architect. "Yet from the street it retained its handsome historic form."

"Our ambition was to create contemporary living spaces within the original villa, bringing in light, air and volume, and gently extending the fabric of the building to create circulation and views to the garden," he added.

Dining room in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
The upper basement level contains family living spaces

The owners were previously living next door but had outgrown the property. When this house went up for sale, they realised it would offer them more opportunities to extend.

The project took a feat of engineering. The two original floors of the house were temporarily suspended, allowing a previous basement floor to be rebuilt and an extra floor to be slotted in underneath.

Two new staircases – one in front of the house and another in a discrete side extension – help to ensure these new spaces are well connected with the existing house.

"The house presents itself to the city in a very unassuming way," said Fobert.

Kitchen and breakfast bar in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
A walnut cabinet helps to divide this floor into zones

"It feels as if nothing has changed since it was first built," he said.

"But when you walk through the door, you are met with an extraordinary transformation, with a space which seems like it shouldn't fit inside."

Kitchen in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Glazed walls connect the kitchen and dining room with a rear garden

The upper basement floor contains all the family living spaces in a broken-plan layout.

A large walnut cabinet divides what would otherwise have been an open-plan space into different zones. A kitchen and breakfast bar are on one side, a dining room is one the other, and a lounge and lobby are in front.

The sloping levels of the site made it possible to add glazed walls at the rear, allowing rooms on this floor to spill out into a small garden at the back.

Swimming pool in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
The swimming pool is lined with travertine

The lower basement floor is designed to bring as much daylight as possible in from above.

A skylight is positioned at end of the swimming pool, creating a dramatic play of light and shadow across the travertine surfaces. Other rooms, which include a study and guest room, are organised around two courtyard lightwells.

Basement floor of House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Lightwells and a skylight bring daylight down to the lower basement floor

On both levels, exposed concrete beams and joists offer a more industrial feel than the rest of the house.

"It was important to me that the ceiling height was generous, creating a volume that removed the sense of being underground," said Fobert.

Staircase in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
A curved staircase connects four bedrooms in the original parts of the house

Rooms on the upper levels have a more traditionally Victorian character.

These floors are now reserved for bedrooms. The main bedroom and en-suite are on the ground floor, two matching bedrooms occupy the first floor and a fourth is located in the converted loft.

Bathroom in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
The ground floor now serves as a main bedroom and en-suite

A number of bespoke details have been created throughout the home.

Fobert and his team designed joinery elements, a black steel dining table and a series of geometric lighting fixtures.

Lighting in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Bauhaus-inspired lighting fixtures were made bespoke by Opus Magnum

"The design of these lights grew out of my love of Walter Gropius's light fittings designed for the Bauhaus," added the architect.

"A set of variations were created for the various rooms; single lights which are staggered across the living and family room, a straight run in the kitchen, and a more playful configuration over the dining room table."

Rear facade of House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
The house is located in north London

Fobert is best known for designing art galleries, with extensions to Tate St Ives in Cornwall and Kettle's Yard in Cambridge among his previous designs.

Other residential projects he has completed include the subtly detailed Luker House and modern mews home Levring House.

Photography is by Jim Stephenson. Movie is by Tapio Snellman.

More images and plans

Lower basement floor plan
Lower basement floor plan
Upper basement floor plan
Upper basement floor plan
Ground floor plan
Ground floor plan
First floor plan
First floor plan
Second floor plan
Second floor plan
Section one
Section one
Section two
Section two
Driveway of House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Lounge in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Lighting in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Study in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Travertine in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Handrail in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Steel table in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Concrete in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects
Bedroom in House in Primrose Hill by Jamie Fobert Architects