bramfield road

c l a p h a m  |  l o n d o n

Bramfield Road is a classic London rear extension, working within Planning rules to infill and push out the back of the house while going all-in below ground — underpinning the existing structure to add a full basement alongside an extensive internal overhaul. The original three-storey row house had it backwards: a cramped kitchen buried at the rear, living space stuck up front. The brief was simple but universal — more space, more light, and a real connection to the garden. 

a b o u t   t h e   p r o j e c t

The existing three-level row house had it backwards — a cramped kitchen tucked at the rear, living space stuck up front — leaving the client short on space, light, and any real connection to the outdoors, a frustration felt by row-house owners everywhere.

A rear and side bump-out at ground level, topped with skylights running the full length of the roof, floods the new space with light and makes room for a serious kitchen — tall wall-to-wall cupboards, a generous island, and wide sliding glass doors opening straight onto the newly refurbished courtyard. A textured brick wall on the opposite side gives the extension the feel of having always been there, grown out of the neighbouring structure. Below ground, extensive underpinning and a run of party wall agreements unlocked a full basement — wine cellar, dedicated laundry, and storage throughout — while the ground floor gained a new WC and bespoke integrated joinery for extra space-saving storage. The real test was making it all disappear: hidden plumbing, sealed-but-accessible manholes, new steel structure, all folded invisibly into the build to lift the house from typically dark to genuinely luxurious.

Bramfield Road went from confined and underused to light-filled and fully functional. Pushing below ground unlocked space simply unavailable anywhere else on this tight site — a strong result against real constraints.