A Green Ceramic Façade Rethinks the London Home Extension

Bolans Architects completed Ceramic House, a Victorian terraced-house extension in Brockley, south-east London, where a green ceramic 'brick' façade wraps the rear elevation. The rear face carries the project's boldest gesture. It sits unseen from the street.

Falase, project architect at Bolans, articulated the ceramic brickwork decoratively rather than flat. He drew on the detailing discipline of his own Black Edge House self-build, where every junction carried weight. "A big part of the inspiration came from wanting to articulate the ceramic brickwork more decoratively, rather than simply using it as a flat finish," he said. The rear wall carries arches, recesses, and shifting planes under one smooth green surface. "There is a real playfulness to it, but at the same time it feels quite sophisticated," Falase added.

What changes for the practitioner?

The ground floor gained:

• A utility room
• A concealed pantry
• A guest bathroom
• A curved kitchen island that pulls the eye through the home toward the garden

Falase framed the spatial brief: "We had to ensure that every space had a clear purpose, while also understanding which rooms needed natural light and which spaces could work deeper within the plan." Five functions — kitchen, dining, snug, utility, pantry — stack into the same level without crowding. Storage and circulation thread between them.

How did the loft work?

The loft posed the largest technical problem. Original Victorian headroom sat below comfortable conversion standards. Bolans lowered the entire first-floor structure to recover clearance, then rebuilt around the existing windows to preserve the first-floor character. Cork flooring runs continuously up the new stair and across the upper level.

Who else shaped delivery?

One client serves as project manager at a large construction firm. His procurement and sequencing experience shortened decision cycles. The clients' direct involvement kept the design coherent from concept to completion. Ceramic House reads as one practice's vision but carries two experienced hands on the build side.

What does the rear elevation deliver?

Falase stated the intent plainly: "We also wanted the clients to have a constant connection to the garden, even from the deeper parts of the house. So the extension was not just about adding more space, but about drawing light, views and the garden back through the house." The ground floor avoids one large open-plan room. Distinct zones link through aligned sightlines that carry the eye to the garden elevation.

As visitors approach, the rear resolves from a single green plane into a layered composition of arches, recesses, and profiled brickwork. Fixed furniture shapes each interior moment. The house opens up gradually as movement reverses through it.

For practitioners, Ceramic House shows what a single material can do when the architect commits to one finish across form, depth, and shadow. One ceramic skin performs envelope and ornament in the same gesture. The Brockley terrace now reads less as a rear extension and more as a defined room open to the garden.