upwards and outwards
Katherine Roberts and Lars Boerner extended their home to suit their growing family, filling the rooms with light and texture
A well-designed modern extension, with a statement skylight, has allowed this family to grow with this house in southwest London
When Katherine Roberts was pregnant with her fourth child, she and her partner Lars Boerner realised the time had come to move. ‘Size rather than location became our priority,’ says Katherine. ‘We were over the moon to find this Edwardian house in a leafy southwest London street. It had everything, even a large garden and a great location.’
Other houses in the same street had already been extended, so the couple knew planning permission would probably not be an issue. A friendly neighbour invited Katherine to inspect what they had already done. ‘They had built an extension with spilt-level sloping roofs separated by a long thin vertical window, which let in a shaft of light between the levels. This was a completely new concept to me, increasing light and making an interesting feature of the roof,’ explains Katherine. ‘ We realised we could use this idea in our new kitchen to give it an original twist. We found a great architect to draw up the plans and he suggested incorporating ceiling beams to add character. He also recommended installing traditional skylights.’
A few months later, Katherine heard of a local interior designer, Sarah Finney, who had a similarly original approach. ‘Sarah came to my rescue at just the right time,’ says Katherine. ‘She is also an artist, and therefore able to draw her designs for each room with 3D precision. I soon realised we shared the same vision for the house. We
both love mixing natural, traditional textures with sleek, modern elements.’
Every space was carefully tailored to suit family life. Sarah posed lots of questions; Where would the children wipe their feet and where would the buggy go? How could they hide away toys within easy reach and keep the sitting room looking tidy? What was the best place for the TV? The family cracked each problem one by one. In the sitting room, large drawers on wheels full of toys are inconspicuously tucked into an alcove. ‘Each child owns one of these,’ says Katherine. ‘It makes them feel grown-up.’
As Lars does the cooking, the design of the kitchen was his. ‘He worked closely with Thomas Davies Kitchens and chose all the equipment,’ says Katherine. ‘I decided to leave the external brick walls in the kitchen untreated. It satisfies my love of texture and goes well with the reclaimed flooring sourced by Lars.’
Katherine and Sarah chose the artwork together. ‘I’m blessed with having a brother,
Andrew Roberts, who is a well-established, professional artist. We bought some of his paintings and he kindly gave me some as a present. They make the house sing.’
Each room has one feature wall painted in a strong colour, several in blue. ‘Repeating colour tones throughout creates a restful continuity between the rooms,’ says Katherine, ‘and I happen to love blue.’ It’s not hard to see why every member of the family is enjoying this home. The children, Milo and Otto, twins aged 6, Maxwell, 4, and Zoe, 2, love the garden and Katherine and Lars like nothing better than stargazing through the skylights and watching seasons change from their top-floor bedroom. ‘This house is everything we wanted and more,’ says Katherine. ‘It’s our forever home.’