Ceramic House, a green-tiled Victorian extension in Brockley, London

From the street, this Victorian terrace in Brockley, south-east London, gives nothing away. Round the back, though, Bolans Architects has added a rear extension clad in green ceramic 'brick', and it is that façade that gives the project its name, Ceramic House. Architect Lanre Falase, who led the work, wanted to treat the ceramic brickwork decoratively rather than as a flat finish, an attention to junctions and details he traces back to his own self-build, Black Edge House.

The façade is a play of arches, recesses and shifting planes, pulled together by one smooth green surface. Falase likes how it reads as a single composition from afar, with the smaller profiles only revealing themselves up close. Inside, the ground floor was reworked to fit a utility room, a concealed pantry, a guest bathroom, kitchen, dining area and snug without feeling crowded, and a new curved kitchen island leads the eye out to the garden.

Upstairs, the loft was the hardest part: the original house lacked headroom, so the whole floor structure was lowered. A new staircase, finished in cork like the upper level, leads up to it. One of the clients, a project manager at a construction firm, was closely involved throughout.

A private home, so nothing to visit, but a good one to file away if you are planning a London extension of your own.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 15 October 2026. Read the original

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