November 13, 2024

Magpie House Renovation by DGN Studio

The Magpie House, designed by DGN Studio in London, UK, underwent a transformation in 2022. The home’s owners, mid-century furniture collectors, tasked the studio with renovating and extending the ground floor. The project expanded to include refurbishing the upper floor, integrating vintage pieces from the clients’ collection. With a focus on spatial planning and natural light, the redesign ensures a cohesive flow and connection to the garden, utilising repurposed materials throughout.

A modern glass and brick extension with a sheltered entrance and seating area.

Magpie House by DGN Studio Features Garden Connection

The Magpie House in London, designed by DGN Studio, showcases a focus on spatial planning and natural light. Working closely with mid-century furniture collectors, the studio renovated the home’s upper floor while incorporating vintage pieces from the clients’ collection. The redesign of the ground floor plan encompasses a seamless flow for living, dining, and cooking. A significant aspect of the project is the connection to the garden.

A cozy, rustic kitchen with exposed brick walls, wooden beams, and built-in shelving displaying decorative objects.

On the ground floor, the entryway opens up to a welcoming living space leading to the new kitchen and dining area. The kitchen and dining space extends three metres (9.5 feet) into the rear garden, fulfilling the client’s desire for a strong connection between the interior and exterior. The addition of a concrete and dark oak window seat, along with fully operable glazed panels, ensures a seamless flow from the dining area to the garden.

A well-designed kitchen with modern shelving, lighting, and warm wooden accents.

The rear façade design emphasizes both depth and privacy. The façade features galvanised steel with dark-stained timber window trims, matching the existing black-stained garden room. Slim steel posts break up the dark elevation, while a thick lead parapet creates a small overhang that shelters the bench from rain.

A cozy and modern interior with wooden furniture, built-in shelves, and natural lighting.

Magpie House Renovation by DGN Studio Features Reclaimed Bricks

The low-maintenance courtyard includes gravel, reclaimed steel mesh panels, and brewer’s malting kiln tiles, repurposed by the client for a narrative of old and new. This focus on weaving different material components and objects continues throughout the home.

Cozy living room with tall windows, wooden shelves, and mid-century modern furnishings.

In the new extension, the existing external wall, constructed from reclaimed London stock bricks, is treated with mineral paint for a softer interior aesthetic. The new extension, set three steps below the entrance level, takes advantage of increased ceiling heights and overhead glazing. For the kitchen, DGN Studio designed large joinery pieces with ample storage, accommodating existing client belongings such as the oven and hob.

Cozy bedroom with arched window, exposed wooden beams, and neutral tones.

Stainless steel counters and splashback serve as the main material contrast against the ash cupboards and open shelving. The design includes a larger stainless-steel unit that conceals the extract at a high level while providing ample preparation space. An ash wood cut out in the wall connects the kitchen to the sitting room, elongating site lines throughout the ground floor.

A minimalist room with wooden slat walls, frosted glass panel, and a stone pottery piece.

Magpie House Celebrates Old and New with Repurposed Materials

On the upper floor, the floor plan was rearranged to accommodate two bedrooms and a family bathroom instead of the previous three-bedroom arrangement. The new bathroom is enclosed in an oak-framed reeded glass screen, allowing light to permeate into the top floor. Microcement floors extend up the walls, and the clients’ collected items like the loo, large sink, and bath become key elements of the interior design.

A modern bathroom with a clawfoot tub, wooden paneling, and a glass partition.

Additionally, the traditional narrow corridor outside the bathroom was transformed into a bright, open landing. The space can now accommodate a sofa or study, going beyond traditional circulation space. A wood floor, reclaimed from historic barns, elevates the feel of the transitory space to the bedrooms.

Inviting modern interior with wooden accents, circular dining table, and warm lighting.

Facilitated by a long-term client and contractor relationship, the Magpie House project showcases a sensitive approach to reusing found objects. DGN Studio rethought the traditional design process, prioritising a more intuitive, flexible approach, testing new ways of working in an agile and responsive manner, ultimately creating a successful collage of many hands.