BEING AN ARCHITECT,

Siri Zanelli could probably have made a good case for adding a far larger extension than she actually did to the back of her family’s Victorian terraced home in north London. But instead she decided to transform it in more innovative ways. In terms of decorating, she used textures, colours and surfaces to make it feel warm, welcoming and vibrant, while more thoughtful extensions were carried out at the rear and into the loft.

Before work started, Siri approached it as if she were a client and took a long, hard look at how she and her family live – what they love doing and how that translates into home life. ‘I saw how we had a need for spaces to come together,’ she says. ‘Some for quiet thinking and others for play.’ As a result, she put the kitchen/diner firmly at the centre of family life, with a cosy seating area in an extension at the back of the house.

Siri’s decision to keep this extension modest was twofold. Firstly, the house is in a conservation area, and secondly, she feels that larger glazed extensions can end up being rather cold and characterless. ‘I think there are more interesting ways to add space and I wanted this extension to be subservient to the building,’ she says. ‘This snug area suits the proportions of the house and the garden.’ In fact, Siri’s version replicates the old shape of the kitchen, but with the addition of just a few extra crucial square metres.

The kitchen/diner is a space that the family appreciates and uses every day and the proportions of the seating area feel just right. ‘Something that looks impressive on Instagram doesn’t always work for family life,’ explains Siri. ‘In practical terms, a wide wall of glass restricts your furniture choices because you inevitably end up with one large sofa along one wall or a corner sofa.’ With Siri’s design, there is ample glazing, but there are also corners, clad in bare brick. ‘I really like corners,’ she adds. ‘They make a space easier and more interesting to furnish.’

Above, a large rooflight frames the view of the sky and helps connect this seating area to the outside. ‘In the evenings, this is a lovely place to sit and feel within reach of the garden, but it also works as a space where the kids hang out in the morning before school,’ says Siri.

Materials were an important part of this renovation, with large panels of elm veneer used on the kitchen cabinets, which complement the

Douglas fir timber cladding on the ceiling. The kitchen was built to Siri’s design by a local joiner. ‘It was more expensive than, say, an Ikea kitchen, but not as much as some of the high-end companies I visited,’ she says. She got a shock when one told her their kitchens started at £50,000: ‘I was aiming for the entire extension to come in at that price, so we decided instead to source the materials and hire a joiner ourselves.’

A hands-on approach meant that Siri went to the timber yard to choose the wood herself, picking out exactly the tone and grain she loved. She also selected new bricks that work well alongside the original Victorian ones. ‘The surfaces are related but I didn’t want to try to match them exactly. That would have looked faux rather than embracing the integrity of the materials,’ she adds.

The range of natural materials used actually reflects the warm minimalism of Scandinavian design, which, as Siri is originally from Norway, is perhaps not surprising. And as she studied for a Masters degree in architecture in Tokyo, elements of Japanese design feed into her work too. Colour has also been used to create a warm, rich mood. Working with the Norwegian Koi Colour Studio, Siri has created a bold scheme using Pure & Original clay-based paints that are ecologically sound and suit the house’s Victorian features. The yellow in the back living room is a shade that feels both mellow and invigorating, while the front room – used as a home office – combines two gentle shades of pink and blue.

Furniture choices reflect Siri and Adrian’s love of classic design but, above all, their decor is about adding a sense of homeliness. ‘Because we’re both architects, people expect our style to be really cool, sharp and clinical,’ says Siri. ‘But I believe a home needs to be warm and welcoming; the opposite of an office block or a commercial building.’ Acting as her own client has been a successful approach for Siri. ‘Throughout this renovation, I looked for opportunities to bring in more light, blur the boundaries between the inside and outside, and add moments of joy,’ she explains. ‘It’s now a family home that is loved by us all.’

OFFICE

Opposite, top The former front living room is now used as a double office, with a bespoke oak window seat that includes drawers. Window seat, Gilson Furniture. Chair and ottoman, Eames. Pendant, Flos. Lamp, Noguchi.

Walls in Soft Flamingo, Pure & Original

KITCHEN

Opposite, below left and below right An elm kitchen and ceiling cladding in Douglas fir keep the space feeling cosy and also soften the acoustics. For contrast, the recess is in a green-grey laminate. Bespoke kitchen, Create Furniture. Terrazzo floor tiles, Diespeker & Co

BEDROOM

To make this loft bedroom more spacious, Siri reduced the ceiling height of the rooms below (which are still ample). Bedside cabinet, Gilson Furniture. Wall light, Flos. Walls in Black Hills, Pure & Original

‘I really like CORNERS as they make a space EASIER and more INTERESTING to furnish’

‘Something that looks IMPRESSIVE on Instagram doesn’t always work for FAMILY LIFE’

SHOWER ROOM

Above The cement basin adds to the simple style. Basin, Formed Concrete Basins. Stool, Noguchi. Cabinet, Gilson Furniture

STORM’S BEDROOM

Above left A bespoke platform bed has allowed for space underneath to fit in a desk and drawers. Platform bed, Create Furniture. Walls in Mauve Love, Pure & Original