The architect and designer Guy Derwent was approached by his client with a clear and compelling brief: to completely transform a grand Victorian terrace house they were planning to renovate. The client envisioned something far beyond a standard renovation – this was to be a bold and dramatic reimagining of a family home that could grow with them over time. With the property having remained largely untouched for more than fifty years, the architects saw an opportunity to unlock its potential and deliver a contemporary design that would contrast beautifully with its Victorian heritage. The existing layout consisted of a series of small, disconnected rooms to the rear of the house. To respond to the client’s need for openness and flexibility, the architect proposed a radical restructuring of the ground floor: The rear rooms were completely removed Suspended timber floors were lowered by up to two metres to align with the garden Two bold extensions were added The first extension filled in the side return with a London stock brick facade and a glazed roof, while the second – a striking black steel and glass pavilion was glazed on three sides and placed along the garden elevation. This new pavilion redefined the building’s relationship with the garden. Its steel-framed glazing created a seamless dialogue between interior and exterior, offering a sense of immersion in the surrounding landscape. At the heart of the plan sits a dramatic, five-metre-tall dining space that acts as a transition from the original entrance hall into the new addition. A large, circular cast-glass window, framed in steel, provides a visual and spatial link between old and new, allowing light and movement to travel through the depth of the home. Throughout the project, a series of black metal elements were introduced as sculptural interventions – each marking moments of transformation within the house. These included the bespoke steel framed circular window, a custom metal staircase, a cylindrical support column, and the striking steel and glass garden pavilion. Together, they formed a coherent architectural language that underscored the project’s bold intent. Our steel windows and doors played a vital role in delivering the project’s vision. The architects chose steel for its refined sight lines and distinctive material character, which helped bridge the gap between the historical context of the building and the bold new additions. The black steel frames provided a crisp contrast to the pale London stock brick and added definition to the glazed pavilion, reinforcing the sense of architectural precision. In particular, the fine steel profiles of the garden room allowed the extension to feel both lightweight and immersive, blurring the boundary between the house and its garden. The architect drew inspiration from the Bauhaus Movement, particularly the work of Walter Gropius, whose approach to functional beauty and industrial materials informed the design of the garden pavilion. Here, our glazing system was used not just for transparency, but as an expressive architectural element. The carefully proportioned panels help to conceal the roof thickness and reinforce the pavilion’s industrial yet abstract character – a deliberate nod to product design and modernist detailing. Sustainability was an important factor in the selection of materials. Our steel systems, made from 99% recycled content and 100% recyclable, aligned with the project’s broader environmental goals. The architects noted that this commitment to material longevity and circularity was central to their decision to use steel. The durability and recyclability of the windows and doors ensured the project met both aesthetic and ethical criteria. This London terrace house now stands as a celebration of contrast – between heritage and innovation, solidity and transparency, tradition and transformation. Our steel windows and doors were not simply components; they were essential tools in crafting a home that is as bold and expressive as it is functional. The result is a home designed for modern family life, where light, space, and materiality come together in perfect harmony.

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Close up of the repeating pattern of Pratt and Larson's 6x6 Motif A (MT-66XA) in a custom colorfill
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Colonial White marble
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Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC
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Thassos White Marble 3x6 Subway Tile and 12x12 Marble Tile http://goo.gl/wrxQC7 http://AllMarbleTiles.com/

For the deck’s surface and benches, the clients selected low-maintenance capped PVC decking from TimberTech AZEK’s Vintage collection in their weathered teak color. We rebuilt the twin pergolas – including posts, beams, slats and trusses – with cedar and applied a solid-color custom stain on all of the wood surfaces. We were able to retain the original deck railings, and we didn’t need to modify the roof structure for this project.

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An Ipe Clip system was used in this Garapa deck. It provides the fastener free surface so its easier to walk on, and gives a much better finished look.

The landscape around this Mediterranean style home was transformed from barren and unusable to a warm and inviting outdoor space, cohesive with the existing architecture and aesthetic of the property. The front yard renovation included the construction of stucco landscape walls to create a front courtyard, with a dimensional cut flagstone patio with ground cover joints, a stucco fire pit, a "floating" composite bench, an urn converted into a recirculating water feature, landscape lighting, drought-tolerant planting, and Palomino gravel. Another stucco wall with a powder-coated steel gate was built at the entry to the backyard, connecting to a stucco column and steel fence along the property line. The backyard was developed into an outdoor living space with custom concrete flat work, dimensional cut flagstone pavers, a bocce ball court, horizontal board screening panels, and Mediterranean-style tile and stucco water feature, a second gas fire pit, capped seat walls, an outdoor shower screen, raised garden beds, a trash can enclosure, trellis, climate-appropriate plantings, low voltage lighting, mulch, and more!

Traditional Black Fir Shou Sugi Ban siding offers a unique texture for interior and exterior applications.
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Farrow & Ball Wallcovering influenced by Japanese Flying Birds installed by Drop Wallcoverings, Calgary and Kelowna Wallpaper Installer. Photo credit by Lindsay Nichols Photography.

Reclaimed weathered barn siding wall paneling perfectly terminates into the grey limestone floor without the need of baseboards.
Small tuscan 3/4 gray tile and stone tile limestone floor bathroom photo with flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, marble countertops, a two-piece toilet and white walls

Photo: Sarah Dowlin © 2018 Houzz