A House In London Where Floors Drop, Walls Vanish, and the Garden Moves In - Yanko Design

A Hampstead home was redesigned to strengthen connections between interior rooms and a south-facing garden. The lower ground floor was transformed for a family with teenage children, focusing on improved living and outdoor access rather than added space alone. Previously, the house sat above the garden with a long staircase that emphasized separation. The redesign lowered the extension by nearly a meter, placing family rooms directly alongside the landscape. Taller-feeling ceilings and deeper natural light make the garden feel integrated into everyday routines. Tree root protection zones shaped the extension footprint, guiding the final form. Hit-and-miss iroko hardwood battens add warmth and soften new lines, while a tapering roof provides summer shade and uses mirror-polished stainless steel to reflect sky and trees.

"Before the renovation, the house sat well above the garden, with a long staircase creating a clear sense of separation between inside and outside. The architects solved this by bringing the main living spaces closer to the landscape. The new extension steps almost a meter lower than the original level, placing the family rooms directly alongside the garden. This simple shift changes everything. The ceilings feel taller, natural light reaches deeper into the interior, and the garden becomes part of everyday life instead of feeling like a separate area at the bottom of the plot."

"The surrounding trees played a major role in shaping the design. Because of root protection zones, the footprint of the extension had to be carefully planned. Instead of forcing a standard solution onto the site, the architects allowed these constraints to guide the final form. That careful response gives the project a sense of balance, as though it belongs naturally within its setting."

"The exterior is wrapped in hit-and-miss iroko hardwood battens, which add texture and warmth while softening the lines of the new addition. Above, a tapering roof stretches outward to provide shade during warmer months. Its underside is finished in mirror-polished stainless steel, reflecting the trees and sky overhead. It is a subtle detail, but an effective one, helping the roof feel lighter and less dominant i"

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