Private House Renovation • 67 Santos Road, London, UK
Take a stroll down the leafy streets of Wandsworth, and you might miss Skinner Trevino House, a seemingly ordinary semi-detached house. However, don't let appearances deceive you. Thanks to an interior overhaul by Luis Trevino Architects, this unassuming suburban property has been transformed into a light and airy open-plan living space with discreet floor-to-ceiling doors, walls, and lights that seamlessly transition from old to new.
According to company founder Luis Trevino, the transformation began with the decision to retain the original staircase while extending it up to the top floor of the house. The use of structural glass for the stair extension, positioned between the skylight prism that protrudes into the roof as a dormer and a two-way mirror, creates a feeling of openness without limiting spatial boundaries.
On the other side of the mirror lies a concealed shower, providing privacy and an uninterrupted view of the garden, while the skylight allows natural light to flood through the entire house. To continue the free-flow effect, the property's rear extension was built entirely out of glass, allowing vast amounts of daylight to flood into the kitchen.
The home's contemporary accents are cleverly incorporated into the conversion, enhancing the original period features, including Victorian doors framed by a sloping glass roof with expertly laid soldier bricks stacked immediately above. At the far end of the property, a large glass door opens directly out to the garden, echoing the glass prism at the top of the stairwell.
At the loft level, the grand master bedroom suite with balcony doors beautifully frames the view of the back elevation, with its dormer finish clad in Scandinavian larch timber slats to disguise the balcony doors. On the roof, a sun deck overlooks the nearby church tower and its surroundings, with a view stretching all the way to the River.
According to Trevino, "they say first impressions can be deceiving. It's certainly the case with this project. Conventional from the outside – but head within, and you have a perfect example of what can be done with any living space when you allow yourself to think outside the box."