Rees Architects — Crystal Palace Villa

Proposed Victorian villa and garden extension, with curved dormers, planted roof and a terrace opening onto the established garden.

A whole-house transformation

A Victorian house, reimagined around family life and the garden.

This proposal brings a much-loved Victorian villa and its later additions into a coherent family home. A relocated staircase, generous garden-facing rooms and a reworked roof create space for growing teenagers, working from home and welcoming family from overseas, while preserving the garden that makes the house special.

The house, chapter by chapter

01 / The starting point

The existing villa and established garden before the proposed transformation.

Existing house

Preparing the model…

The existing house within its garden.

Illustrative model · A developing proposal

01The starting point

The family valued the character of the original Victorian house and its established garden. The later additions were less successful: cold, damp and poorly suited to the way they wanted to live. The brief was to unlock the potential of the whole property, creating more useful space without allowing the extension to consume the garden.

Existing detached villa seen across the long, established rear garden. — The existing house and garden

Ground floor demolition plan

02A strategy before a design

The clients came to Rees for our design approach and for some clarity on how to approach their project. We explored their needs alongside planning considerations, building regulations, likely costs and buildability, testing high-level options before developing a full concept.

This established a direction for the whole house: more independence for two growing teenagers, space to work and host visiting family, and a closer connection between cooking, dining and the garden.

Rees Architects is appointed to guide the whole project, with Founder and Director Daniel Rees leading Project Strategy and concept design. The planning application is currently under determination.

03Life around the garden

The principal living spaces face south towards the garden, bringing cooking, dining and relaxing into a connected sequence. Generous openings frame views of established planting, while indoor and outdoor dining spaces support the family’s love of cooking and entertaining.

Proposed dining and seating area beneath a circular rooflight, with full-height glazing overlooking the garden. — Dining and seating overlooking the garden · Proposed visualisation

Proposed timber-panelled living room, with a fireplace and openings connecting it to the kitchen. — Living room at the centre of the rear elevation · Proposed visualisation

The living room sits at the centre of the back of the house, between the family room and the new kitchen and garden room.

The layout also makes room for the everyday: a pantry, utility and boot room, practical storage and space to care for the family dog. Overhangs above the garden glazing are designed to provide shade and help limit summer heat gain.

Ground floor

Interior section through the proposed kitchen and garden-facing seating, lit by a circular rooflight. — Kitchen and garden room in section · Proposed visualisation

Exterior terrace with an outdoor dining table beside the glazed proposed garden extension. — Dining on the terrace · Proposed visualisation

04A new stair, a clearer plan

Relocating the staircase allows more space on the garden-facing side of the house for the most important rooms. It creates a direct route from the entrance, reduces space lost to corridors and connects the three floors around a generous lightwell.

Proposed staircase section showing the curved timber stair connecting the floors beneath a generous rooflight. — The relocated staircase and lightwell · Proposed section visualisation

Daylight enters from above, bringing light deep into the plan. Seen from the front door, the stair becomes a focal point and an invitation to explore the house beyond.

05Privacy and retreat

The upper floors give the family room to grow. Larger bedrooms and dedicated places to work and study support greater independence, while a principal suite brings sleeping, dressing and bathing together.

First floor

The current planning scheme includes a study; this concept drawing retains the earlier “gym” label. Existing and proposed drawings are fitted independently, not at a shared scale.

Section through the proposed vaulted principal bedroom above the kitchen and garden room. — The principal suite above the garden rooms · Proposed section visualisation

A vaulted ceiling gives the principal bedroom a generous sense of space, with views towards the garden and planting on the roof below. Guest accommodation allows family visiting from overseas to stay comfortably.

Second floor

Proposed accommodation

A new third level within the reworked roof. No existing habitable second-floor plan is shown.

06A considered arrival

The front elevation is an important part of the transformation. The gabled silhouette, arched entrance and carefully aligned openings give the house a clear identity on arrival.

Proposed front elevation with a gabled roof, arched entrance and a planted approach between timber fences. — Front elevation and arrival · Proposed visualisation

Planting softens the approach, drawing the eye towards the entrance and the house beyond.

07Old and new, considered together

The proposal takes its cues from the proportions and alignments of the Victorian house. Curved dormers align with the windows below, their smaller openings and rounded profiles softening the enlarged roof.

Detail of the proposed garden elevation, showing brick and stone, standing-seam metal and planting above the glazed extension. — Material, proportion and planting · Proposed visualisation

Brick and stone ground the additions, with lighter metal and tiled surfaces above. Inside, joinery, panelling and window openings share carefully considered alignments. In the dining space, the height of the built-in seat connects with the garden-facing sill and neighbouring joinery, tying everyday use to the wider composition.

Architecture, interiors and landscape, considered as one whole-house proposal.

Complete proposed garden elevation of the Victorian villa, reworked roof and garden extension. — Crystal Palace Villa · Proposed design, subject to planning and further development

Explore at your own pace

The whole house, in your hands.

Rotate the proposed house, zoom in or out, or select a numbered point for the related visual.

The model opens here as you reach the end of the story.

“None of this would have gone so smoothly without your expertise in design and project management. Once the plans were finalised you have guided us, kept us on track, and ensured nothing was missed.”
Michael and Kate, clients of a separate completed whole-house renovation

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Considering a substantial renovation or extension? Your first conversation is with Daniel Rees, our Founder and Director, to discuss your home and ambitions. Please tell us about your project using the form.