OEB Architects' tiled kitchen extension to a Victorian terrace in Southwark, London

London Tropical is a rear extension to a three-storey Victorian terrace in Southwark, designed by OEB Architects, the London and Brighton practice founded in 2018 by Tessa Baird and David Eland. The clients wanted an open-plan kitchen and dining room that felt surrounded by its garden, and specifically not the usual top-lit infill with a roof light sloping down to the boundary.

So the studio pulled the extension back from the southern edge of the plot. That gap creates a courtyard facing the main house, lined with a glass-block wall and full-height windows, while full-height sliding doors at the end open the room entirely to a planted patio. Translucent curtains can screen the south-facing courtyard, softening the light further.

Inside, white walls, stone floors and pale timber are punctuated by a kitchen island in glossy green tiles and a column in shiny red ones. Project architect Gabriel George says the references ranged from West Coast case study houses to 1980s interiors and tropical modernism. The floor steps up to meet the original house, with a bathroom and pantry along the connecting corridor.

It's a private home, so there's nothing to visit, but it's a useful look for anyone planning a terrace extension who wants something other than the standard glass box.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 4 November 2026. Read the original

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