Delivering excellence in the details
Sometimes it’s not the scale of a project but, instead, subtle modifications that elevate buildings to excellence. This was the case for Meadow House, a family home in the London suburb of Muswell Hill. Located in the Thames Valley, this leafy area has long celebrated its green spaces. Until the nineteenth century, it was still a nearly untouched area of pasture, woodlands and open ground. While much development has since occurred, preserving nature remains prevalent: the area is home to part of London’s longest nature reserve. With the extension of Meadow House, London-based designer Johanna Ahrberg-Jackson proved such values can be upheld in even the smallest of spaces.
An extension of elegance
At 3m x 3m x 3m, the Meadow House cube extension was a small opportunity to make a big impact. That’s why Ahrberg-Jackson describes the extension on Meadow House as a ‘jewellery box’. She wanted to design something that stood out but also harmonised with the original house.
“The extension is small but exquisite in form and function. All aspects of detailing how materials come together were carefully planned and considered,” she says.
A sedum roof finishes the design, blending the building with the surrounding sea of garden greenery. It also complements the colour of the bricks, contributing to the home’s distinguished appearance.
Marrying old and new with Lunawood Triple
Lunawood Triple is made from thermally modified timber. Drawing on Scandinavian influence in its design, it’s part of our Lunawood Collection and uses sustainably sourced wood from Finnish forests.
Its reddish hues flawlessly enhance the reds of the traditional brickwork of the existing house. Its texture also helps merge the extension with the original building: two deep grooves achieve a batten-style effect, solidifying a simple yet elegant textural finish.
“The profile was perfect,” says Ahrberg-Jackson. “It allowed us to fine-tune and adjust the location of the panels to minimise the number of cuts and to have even spacing the whole way.”
Clients also favour Lunawood for its thermal treatment, which avoids up to 50% of dimensional movement, making it a very stable product choice.
Having already worked with our Lunawood Triple cladding, the project contractor, Billa Construction, was keen to use the material again. That’s largely due to the panels’ high-quality finish and ease and speed of installation.
The clients love it. They agree it was definitely the right decision to use timber rather than brick for the finish. The colour is beautiful and complements the brick perfectly.
Johanna Ahrberg-Jackson, Architectural Design & Planning Consultant
Embellishing the jewellery box
Using KompeFix® ventilation strips and L-Go Fix® MS A2 Screws – ideal for tongue-and-groove profiling – the cladding is secret fixed: the perfect embellishment for the client’s jewellery box.
“We were very mindful that the fixings didn’t detract from the simplicity of the lines so it was a consideration from the start,” says Ahrberg-Jackson.
The quality of the fixings also made installation more straightforward.
Specifier Tip: The Lunawood Collection can be coated with SiOO:X to minimise uneven weathering.
Premium collaborations for premium projects
An efficient build is a boon for all projects, and family homes in particular, helping to minimise disruption to family life. For Ahrberg-Jackson, that’s why careful selection of project partners was paramount.
“The best projects are those where all involved are allowed to play to their strengths, and that was very much the case in this instance,” says Ahrberg-Jackson.
Having already worked with Russwood on previous projects, Ilir Billa of Billa Construction was familiar with the high quality of the products, and Russwood were able to provide technical expertise to the contractor that helped unlock favourable project delivery times. Ahrberg-Jackson was impressed with Billa’s creativity, innovation and meticulousness in installing the Lunawood Triple to achieve the look she wished for.
Installation took two days, while preparation took one. Now the clients have a unique home extension to treasure for a lifetime.
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Dimensional stability, durability and sustainability makes Lunawood a long-lasting and beautiful choice with low maintenance for decorative surfaces in interior and exterior applications.
Stock item available on short lead-times.