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Gundry & Ducker adds sooty brick and glass extension to London house
A darkened brick tower and a glass volume form this extension by Gundry & Ducker, added to the rear of a north London residence to create a kitchen and living room with garden views.
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London-based architects Christian Ducker and Tyeth Gundry extended the Florence Street residence for a jewellery designer, an airline pilot and their two small children.
The architects wanted to reference the ad-hoc design of surrounding house extensions, but also to bridge the gap in style between a contemporary addition and the Victorian-era building.
![Florence Street by Gundry Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/01/florence-street-gundry-ducker-architecture-residential-houses-london-extensions_dezeen_2364_col_0-1-852x1281.jpg)
Douglas fir frames the-two storey glazed extension, which houses a basement kitchen that opens to the garden and a living room on the floor above.
![Florence Street by Gundry Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/01/florence-street-gundry-ducker-architecture-residential-houses-london-extensions_dezeen_2364_col_7-1-852x1137.jpg)
The three-storey dark-brick tower next to it adds two bathrooms and a ground floor utility room to the house, which was originally built without them.
Brick arches above the openings and the blind window are intended as a playful reference to the Victorian residence.
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"We wanted to find a suitable aesthetic that was modern but related back to the original house," Ducker told Dezeen.
"We chose dark bricks that have a sooty appearance that we though felt very London," he explained. "Douglas fir was used for the conservatory element for its contrasting light appearance and stability."
![Florence Street by Gundry Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/01/florence-street-gundry-ducker-architecture-residential-houses-london-extensions_dezeen_2364_col_3-1-852x1137.jpg)
Sliding glass doors open the kitchen to outside, where a set of steps lead up to the higher-level garden.
Inside the kitchen, the floor is covered with terrazzo featuring pink marble chips that match the pink tint of the douglas fir window frames.
![Florence Street by Gundry Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/01/florence-street-gundry-ducker-architecture-residential-houses-london-extensions_dezeen_2364_col_5-1-852x1137.jpg)
A large black central island, with painted wood cabinets, fills the centre of the space. A set of white cabinets run along one of the long wall and the other is painted white.
A skylight tops the first floor bathroom, which is painted white and lined with marble tiles.
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The Florence Street project is one of numerous London extensions responding to a growing demand for contemporary design in the capital.
Other examples include a property in East Dulwich with a three-metre-high pivoting door and an extension in the north of the capital topped by a butterfly wing-shaped roof.
Photography is by Andrew Meredith.