White Rabbit House

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

White Rabbit House 

Gundry & Ducker

ARCHITECTS
Gundry & Ducker

DESIGN TEAM
Sophie Campbell, Christian Ducker

MANUFACTURERS
Mandarin Stone, Wienerberger, Bepsoke, British Hardwoods, Fabco, Venetian

ENGINEERING
Feres

PHOTOGRAPHS
Andrew Meredith

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Houses, Extension

Text description provided by architect.

The house is part of a terrace of 1970s neo-Georgian houses, built on the site of demolished large Victorian Villas.

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

This terrace is one of many similar examples built in a ten year period from the mid-1960s around Canonbury.

Whilst the front facade was designed in the Neo-Georgian style, the interior layout and design were generic 1970’s housebuilders.

Stripping out the entire interior back to just the external walls and the roof, we inserted a new interior as a modern interpretation of a Georgian house interior.

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

The design is centered around a cantilevered pill-shaped staircase that sits in a triple-height space with the upper rooms accessed directly off the stair.

The hallway has a chequerboard floor in marble and terrazzo with the terrazzo continuing up the staircase.

A rear extension provides a kitchen and dining space. A full-width roof light illuminates the middle of the plan.

White Rabbit House
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

Local planning restrictions inexplicably prevented dormer windows to the rear (or any form of roof extension).

Our solution was to move the floor levels around to achieve three stories, within the available space.

The design was intended to provide a contrasting route through the house.

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

The initial volume of the entrance hall is contrasted by the scale of the arched tunnel beyond.

There is a visual link through the house from the front door through to the arched garden window and space beyond.

The rear facade is composed of white brick and terrazzo and alludes to Georgian marble fireplace surrounds.

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

The project was an opportunity to explore the skills of craftsman some of whom we have been working with for some years.

The cantilevered staircase was built entirely on-site and although contemporary is built in the same way a Victorian or Georgian staircase would be built.

We also worked with a terrazzo specialist on a bespoke mix terrazzo used both in-situ and precast formats.

White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith
White Rabbit House
© Andrew Meredith

This formed the stair treads, the flooring, worktops and the cladding of the rear façade.


White Rabbit House
Detail plan section
White Rabbit House
Rear elevation


White Rabbit House
Existing plans
White Rabbit House
Proposed plans


White Rabbit House
Section
White Rabbit House
Detail facade section