Archmongers revamps three mid-century houses on London's Dulwich Estate

Front door of Little Brownings II by Archmongers

London studio Archmongers has injected new materials, colours and details in the renovations of three homes from the 1950s and 60s, all located on the Dulwich Estate in southeast London.

The three projects follow on Little Brownings, another refurbishment on this renowned mid-century estate, which won Archmongers the top prize at the Don't Move, Improve awards in 2022.

Each project has unique details and quirks, relating to both the varying characteristics of the properties and the tastes and requirements of the owners.

But in all three, Archmongers founders Margaret Bursa and Johan Hybschmann aimed to improve the sense of space and flow. This meant reconfiguring layouts, opening up ceilings, or adding internal windows or voids between floors.

Exterior of Oakfield Terrace by Archmongers — The Oakfield Terrace renovation better connects the 1950s house with its garden

"Houses often require a complete retrofit, which can be a significant financial commitment," Bursa told Dezeen.

"However, an extension is not always necessary; simply rethinking the layout of the existing space can be effective."

Facade of Tylney Avenue by Archmongers — The Tylney Avenue refurbishment converted the garage and loft of a 1960s townhouse

The architects introduced hard-wearing materials, particularly in areas that experience the most wear, and used splashes of colour to create visual connections between different elements.

"It's important to respect the original feel of these well-considered houses as much as you would in significant period properties, but it can be achieved while still thoroughly updating every aspect of the house," said Bursa.

"We've studied the heavy-weight examples of this era of houses for years, including those built by Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto and Friis & Moltke," she continued.

"By learning from some of these past projects and mixing our own design agenda, we've injected a detail level and quality that these houses simply couldn't afford when originally built."

Kitchen in Little Brownings II by Archmongers — A circular skylight tops the new kitchen of Little Brownings II

The Dulwich Estate includes over 5,000 houses, many of which were designed by architects Austin Vernon & Partners and mass-built by construction company Wates between the 1950s and 1970s.

The first of Archmongers' new trio, Little Brownings II, follows a similar format to its award-winning neighbour.

The scheme centred around the replacement of the front extension, which facilitated the relocation of the kitchen. This opened up the ground floor of the three-storey 1960s townhouse, creating an enlarged living room that is newly separated from the entrance hall.

Terracotta tiles clad the exterior of the extension, which also boasts windows on two sides, exposed timber ceiling joists and a circular skylight.

The interior palette includes square terracotta tiles, Douglas fir, linoleum-clad kitchen cabinets, and splashes of blue, matching the colour of the front door.

Living room of Oakfield Terrace by Archmongers — Aluminium-framed glazing was added to the Oakfield Terrace living room

The second project, Oakfield Terrace, focused on simplifying the layout of a two-storey 1950s row house and better connecting it with its garden.

An old rear extension was removed, allowing the ground floor to frame a new patio. Aluminium-framed glass doors lead out from the living room, matching a box window that projects outwards to create a seating area.

Kitchen of Oakfield Terrace by Archmongers — The kitchen features exposed glulam timber joists and steel columns

At the front of the house, a subtle extension created room for a contemporary kitchen. This space features exposed glulam timber joists and steel columns, plus a generous skylight and terracotta floor tiles.

A wide concrete step opens up the base of the staircase, leading up to first-floor bedrooms that have been opened up to the rafters.

Staircase of Oakfield Terrace by Archmongers — A wide concrete step forms the base of the staircase

The third and most recent renovation is Tylney Avenue, a refurbishment of a three-storey 1960s townhouse that involved converting a ground-floor garage into a kitchen and extending the loft to add an extra bedroom.

The building's thermal performance was improved with extra insulation in the walls, floors and roofs, and new triple-glazed windows, and the interior was given more texture by exposing brick walls and timber joists.

Kitchen in Tylney Avenue by Archmongers — The Tylney Avenue refurbishment created a new ground-floor kitchen

A new opening was created between the ground-floor kitchen and the first-floor living room, while a poured and polished concrete floor connects the ground floor with the terrace.

Cabinets were built into the balustrades, combining different timbers with marble and glass, and a new loft bedroom features a dormer window neatly wrapped in lead.

Living room in Tylney Avenue by Archmongers — Bespoke cabinets frame the balustrade overlooking a new opening between the ground and first floors

The projects follow numerous other mid-century renovations in Archmongers' portfolio, reinforcing the studio's expertise in sensitively modernising properties from this era.

"It's nice to see that more people are now sharing our love of mid-century architecture and choosing to invest in sensitively updating and transforming the UK housing stock," added Bursa.

The photos of Oakfield are by Jim Stephenson, the photos of Little Brownings II are by Megan Taylor, and the photos of Tylney Avenue are by both.

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