The most recent completed project within our series of fifteen Fulham basements is Queensmill Road. Set within the ‘Alphabet Streets’ this Fulham basement extension occupies a prominent corner location. The project incorporates a basement extension with front and rear light wells, a side extension, pod room, loft conversion and complete internal refurbishment to create a light, bright contemporary interior.
Our client, a developer, chose Shape Architecture on the basis of our architectural expertise. Shape Architecture are working comprehensively in Fulham with a speciality in basement extensions. In Fulham and throughout London, Shape Architecture has been working extensively on residential basement developments. An essential part of the brief was to maximise the development potential of the site and to deliver a planning permission as quickly as possible. Both of which we have done.
The design is quite distinct in the open plan nature of the ground floor and the successful way in which spaces flow from one to another. As soon as one enters the property long views are apparent of the rear garden. Also at ground floor level the side extension components feature a broad range of roof lights which flood the spaces below with daylight, including one set over the basement stair.
As with many of our basement projects in Fulham and throughout London, a key feature is a new staircase linking the ground floor with the basement extension below. Here the stair is set below a large format roof light which both brings light down into the heart of the basement and also provides views of the sky from the subterranean space. At basement floor level also the interior is naturally lit through a mix of light wells, double height spaces and structural glass panels.
The basement level follows a typical layout of a large family room to the garden side and media room to the street side with utility room, plant room, WC and storage in between.
The family room has a series of glass screens at its rear one giving the onto the wine store, with another onto the stair void. There is a glazed door between onto the hallway, ensuring views outward, with light penetration maximised. This approach reinforces a sense of integration and flow between spaces.
At Ground floor level the house benefits from a separate side entrance giving onto the street. Known as a boot room, an area directly off the street provides useful access to the property aside from the main entrance. Many of our Fulham basement extensions incorporate boot rooms as a secondary means of access and a suitable space for coats and storage.
A glass platform serves as a bridge from the kitchen to the garden, allowing one to walk directly over the lightwell to the area below. This project had a garage in the rear garden which was a great feature
The first-floor master bedroom suite is particularly successful incorporating a large walk-in-wardrobe that is also accessible from the corridor and a large en-suite that has within it a free standing bath, walk in shower and separate WC.
At the loft conversion and pod room level, a series of roof lights, windows and Juliette balconies ensure that space is filled with light and afforded excellent views over the green setting of rear gardens and tree lined streets.
As prominent examples of a Fulham basement extension within our portfolio, this project at Queensmill Road is especially noteworthy.
It has, at every level, a series of well integrated, light filled and exciting spaces. Within our portfolio, it has similarities to several of our basement extensions in Ellerby Street in its use and location of a feature stair. We have undertaken many extensions in Fulham as part of larger projects or projects in their own right and the side extension infill at Queensmill Road is a good example of where a flat roof set as high as possible with roof lights set within achieves a clean and contemporary interior with good connections to the outside. Being a corner plot the height of the side extension is greater than if abutting a neighbouring property.