A fake Disneyland mountain informed this playful revamp of a family house in south London by architecture studio CAN.
Architect Mat Barnes, founder of CAN, renovated and extended the two-storey Edwardian house in Sydenham for his own family.
A rear extension is topped by a fake mountain
The project included adding a rear extension, topped by a fake mountain made of foamed aluminium. This element is designed in tribute to the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride at Disneyland in California.
This element gives the project its name, Mountain View.
"I loved the idea of elevating this heavy mountain on an unfeasibly thin structure," said Barnes.
Inside, the house is filled with colours, patterns and playful references
The imaginative details don't end there. The house also contains a monochromatic lounge filled with architectural fragments and a kitchen made from recycled chopping boards and milk bottle tops. "We're surrounded by so many colours and textures in the outside world that to me it feels natural to bring many different patterns and fabrics inside too," added Barnes.
Red and white columns reference ranging poles
The renovation centres around the rear extension, which made it possible to create an open-plan living and dining space opening onto the garden.
Instead of fully demolishing the original rear walls, sections of them remain. They create a soft partition between the kitchen and dining area in the original part of the building, and the new lounge space be...