CAN adds mountaintop-shaped roof to edwardian house in south east london house

led by mat barnes, london-based architecture practice CAN is known for distinctive projects that choose texture, color and pattern over white surfaces. back in 2019 we saw how they completed a roomy artist studio for a sculptor and printmaker comprised of two distinctive gabled façades. dubbed mountain view, their latest project is in fact barnes’ home, which included the transformation of an edwardian semi located in south east london.

images by jim stephenson

the mountain view house by CAN opens up progressively as guests move through the first floor, from the dark monochromatic front room through to the full height sliding door looking onto the garden. the project took this classic structure and extended its living spaces by adding a kitchen and a bedroom. the front room is finished in a single dark blue hue with soane-like architectural fragments arranged on the walls. in contrast, the bright hallway steps down into the east-facing, open kitchen and dining area where the floor has been lowered by a meter to better connect with the garden. two waist-height kitchen benches made of recycled chopping boards and milk bottle tops anchor the room, with no high level cupboards, designed to accentuate the 3.4 m ceiling height.

overall, the mountain view house draws on geographical and topographical themes. for example, the rear extension features a gabled roof with a mountain profile. this playful detail not only adds joy to the project but emphasizes on the weight of the roof while giving a sort of fragile look to the structure where structural columns are imagined as red and white ranging poles. the laser cut steel trusses, ranging poles, and partially ruined brick wall all add to a sense of the surreal, while the floor to ceiling glazing opens the home to the garden.

upstairs, the hallway ceiling has been removed opening it up to a new skylight above with the bones of the old house retained. a checkerboard bathroom references the original tiles found in the house. materials, finishes, shapes and colors are intersected throughout to create highly textural and tactile spaces.