Bureau de Change, a prominent London-based architecture studio, has completed an innovative renovation of a Victorian house in Fulham, adding a distinctive extension featuring angular yellow-brick cladding designed to create "a sense of movement." The project, known as W House, transforms a three-story semi-detached residence for a couple and their two children through internal reconfiguration and a striking rear addition.
The extension showcases pale yellow bricks arranged in a sophisticated geometric pattern that pays homage to Victorian architectural traditions while ensuring the new design harmonizes with its historic surroundings. "We were keen that the extension had a story to say, so we played with how we laid the bricks by rotating and mirroring them to create a sense of movement and texture from every angle," Bureau de Change explained. The rear volume draws inspiration from Victorian prefabricated molding details found in historical joinery catalogs and pattern books of local craftsmen.
The architectural approach reinterprets striking three-dimensional moldings with their intricate plays of light and shadow at various scales throughout the design. The rear extension houses a light-filled living space illuminated by strategically placed skylights and angular folded glazing, offering views of the garden from both sides. Given the southwest-facing orientation of the site, the studio carefully designed the mass to avoid large expanses of glazing, instead opting for punctuated openings that manage direct sunlight effectively.
A brushed stainless steel volume that echoes the form of the extension serves a dual purpose, concealing storage space and a downstairs toilet while providing a focal element for the ground floor. "The central faceted stainless steel volume provides a focal element and solid core to the ground floor, complementing the new faceted extension," the studio noted. Adjacent to this metal feature, wooden steps lead up to a dining room at the center of the house, where the team uncovered and restored original timber floorboards and revived original ceiling moldings with fresh white paint.
This restoration work reflects the studio's overarching philosophy of preserving the home's original character while introducing contemporary elements. The kitchen has been strategically relocated to the front of the house, occupying a previously underutilized front room. Triple-glazed windows, fronted by tall plantings in the front garden, provide essential sound insulation and privacy from the adjacent busy street. The kitchen features a carefully curated "desaturated color scheme," combining a dark blue feature wall with dusty pink floor tiles and a high-gloss green finish on the decorative ceiling.
The reconfigured interior layout enhances visual connections both horizontally and vertically throughout the house. "The site provides a unique constraint of dropping almost a meter in level," Bureau de Change explained. "This drove the creation of three distinct yet connected rooms cascading from front to back." The studio's material choices prioritize durability, efficient use of space, and differentiation between rooms to enhance the journey from one space to another.
A thoughtful color gradient runs throughout the house, with colors becoming lighter as residents move closer to the garden, creating a transition from dark entrance spaces to bright living areas. A double-height void above the entrance space features deep blue tones that contrast beautifully against the original Victorian tiling and stained glass windows. Full-height internal glazing on the corner of the first-floor playroom allows natural light to flow into the entrance space below.
On the second floor, the main bedroom overlooks the garden and features a curved tile-clad partition that encloses a freestanding bathtub, creating a luxurious and private bathing area. Bureau de Change, founded by architects Billy Mavropoulos and Katerina Dionysopoulou in 2012, continues to build its reputation for thoughtful residential renovations that balance historical preservation with contemporary innovation. The project photography was completed by Gilbert McCarragher, capturing the interplay of light, texture, and color throughout the transformed Victorian home.
