Archmongers has extended the rear of a terraced house in Stoke Newington that features interiors lined with built-in plywood furniture to maximise the available space and a staircase made from a jigsaw of pieces.

London studio Archmongers designed the closet-wing and mansard extensions for a growing family who wanted to create more space at their two-storey property in the residential area of north London.
Having already added a side-return extension to the ground floor a decade ago, the owners decided to extend vertically onto the roof of the house and the closet wing to provide the required spaces.

The addition to the closet wing features angled surfaces wrapped in standing-seam zinc panels that complement the traditional tiled roofs of the neighbouring houses. "The external form of the closet wing extension is articulated with a variety of angles, which extend and tuck in to negotiate planning criteria whilst gaining the paramount views and light," said the architects.

Windows incorporated into the walls and roof allow plenty of light to enter the plywood lined interior, which can be used as an office or craft space, and for additional guest accommodation if required.
A new stair connects the two new half-levels. A reading nook accommodated on the landing between them ensures that this typically unused circulation space is given a practical purpose.

Plywood walls throughout the extension incorporate cupboards and shelves that optimise the available space ...