Acacia Way

Brief

The task was to transform Acacia Way, a cherished family home located in a leafy London suburb and originally built over 25 years ago, into a space that better accommodates a growing family. The conservatory, once the heart of the home, had become outdated and no longer served its purpose, suffering from sun-damaged PVC, condensation issues, and a leaking roof.

Conversations with the owners revealed that the ground floor layout no longer met their needs. As their lives grew busier, the importance of their time together as a family increased. From this, it became clear that our objective was to create an entertainment space that would cater to a large, flourishing family for the next 25 years.

Response

The south-facing garden offered a variety of design possibilities to infuse the new extension with abundant natural light. Achieving a seamless integration between the house and the garden required opening up the rear façade, effectively dissolving the distinction between interior and exterior spaces. This strategy would allow the extension to expand beyond the traditional architectural boundaries, creating a dynamic and inviting area for social gatherings.

The generous depth of the extension, combined with the reconfigured interior layout, provided an ideal scenario for incorporating a cantilevered corner with minimal structural support. From the outset, the design vision was to minimize structural profiles, giving the impression of the roof and façade as a unified, continuous element of folding metal. To further enhance the sense of openness, the design included sliding panels that could retract into wall cavities, creating a completely unbroken visual and spatial connection between the indoor and outdoor environments.

We worked with Coleman Anderson Architects on the refurbishment and extension of our home in Sidcup and I would highly recommend them to anyone needing the services of a thoroughly brilliant team. We moved back in after 6 months away to a special house that meets the demands of a modern family and we will be happy to spend another 20 years living in our small piece of paradise created by a wonderful team of people.