Project summary: A house renovation with a new basement in Greenwich, London. The excavated lower level added a full floor of living space, connected to the house by a staircase enclosed behind a black framed glazed screen, with colour blocked joinery beneath the stair. Above, the house gained an open plan kitchen and living space, a fitted media and storage wall, and bedrooms with full height built in wardrobes.
The Brief
This Greenwich home had the character of its neighbourhood but not the space a growing family needed. The brief was to add that space beneath the house rather than behind it, and to reorganise the ground floor around a single open plan living, cooking and dining space that connects to the new level below.
A basement project touches everything in a house, so it was delivered as one programme with one dedicated team coordinating qualified trades and structural engineers from the first survey.
The New Basement
Excavating beneath an existing house is a discipline of its own. The structure above has to be supported while the new level is formed, and waterproofing, drainage and ventilation must be designed in from the beginning, because none of them can be convincingly retrofitted afterwards.
Just as important is how the finished level feels. Daylight, ceiling height and the route down were all planned together, so the new floor reads as part of the house rather than as a converted cellar.
The Stair Screen: Glass, Steel and Colour
The staircase is wrapped in a black framed glazed screen with a pivoting door, a piece of joinery and metalwork that separates the stair from the living space without closing it off. Light passes straight through it, and the stair remains visible as a piece of the architecture.
Beneath the flight, the under stair panel is treated as a graphic: blocks of coral, green and yellow set against white, cut by the diagonal line of the stringer. It is a small area of joinery doing a great deal of work, and it gives an otherwise disciplined white and grey interior its sense of humour.
The Open Plan Kitchen and Living Space
The kitchen runs along one side of the open plan floor in near black cabinetry, with timber edged worktops that soften the palette and a pan rail and open shelving keeping everyday things within reach. A poured resin floor runs continuously through kitchen, dining and living areas, and the range sits within the run rather than dominating it.
Opposite, a full height fitted wall combines closed storage with a display shelf and the television, so the living half of the room stays clear. The playroom and dining space beyond are visible through a wide opening, which is what makes the floor work for a family.
Bedrooms and Fitted Joinery
Upstairs, the bedrooms were fitted with full height wardrobes finished flush with the walls, with slim handles and interiors planned around hanging, drawers and shelving. In the principal bedroom the wardrobe run is paired with a tall framed mirror and herringbone parquet, and in the guest room the joinery is carried across an entire wall so the room reads as calm rather than crowded.
Work of this kind is what our fitted wardrobes and built in storage services do on every project: absorb the practical life of a room into the architecture.
Project at a Glance
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Greenwich, south east London |
| Property type | Period house in a historic Greenwich neighbourhood |
| Scope of works | New excavated basement level; staircase enclosed by a black framed glazed screen with colour blocked under stair joinery; open plan kitchen and living space; fitted media and storage wall; bedrooms with full height wardrobes |
| Services involved | Interior fit-out, bespoke kitchens, fitted wardrobes, built in storage, carpentry |
Materials and Craft Details
Black framed glazed stair screen
Steel framed glazing with a pivoting door, separating the stair from the living space while keeping light and sightlines intact.
Colour blocked under stair joinery
Coral, green and yellow panels cut by the diagonal of the stair, turning a redundant triangle into the room’s focal point.
Near black kitchen with timber edges
Dark cabinetry warmed by timber edged worktops, with a pan rail and open shelving for everyday use.
Poured resin floor
A continuous seamless floor through kitchen, dining and living areas, which keeps a multi level house feeling connected.
Planning a house renovation with a basement?
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