Twin Pitches, Ealing

Atelier Baulier reworks an Edwardian semi in West London into a bright, low‑impact family home—sawtooth roof out back, natural finishes throughout, and a plan that simply works.

Late afternoon, the new kitchen catches a long strip of light along a stainless worktop and a recycled‑timber terrazzo backsplash. That moment sums up the project’s priorities. Atelier Baulier kept the house’s good bones and reorganized it for a family of four—opening the rear to the garden with a compact extension and a distinctive twin‑pitch (sawtooth) roof that skims daylight deep into the plan. Inside, cooking, eating, and gathering fall into one clear room; a music room and a small snug sit close by for quieter pockets. Everyday moves are baked in: a sink with a view of the garden, storage where it’s reached without thinking, and circulation that keeps people out of each other’s way when the house is full.

Material choices are direct and tactile, more about use than decoration. Walls are finished in lime plaster and plastic‑free paint for a dry, matte feel; floors run warm over a radiant slab; European pine plywood—stained with linseed oil—wraps built‑ins and doors with a calm, consistent grain. New sash and extension windows keep proportions honest; outside, a simple lime render and a green‑tiled threshold set a friendly face to the street. In the kitchen, the recycled‑timber terrazzo reads quietly against the stainless, and the island takes wear without complaint. Shelving makes room for vinyl records and the objects the family actually lives with; nothing feels staged, and most of it was made by local trades so pieces land precisely where they need to.

Performance sits under the surface and shows up in comfort. Insulation is upgraded throughout; timber steps in where steel might have, reducing embodied carbon; services are arranged so adding solar later is straightforward. The result is less about talking points and more about daily rhythm: morning light across the plywood grain, a door that slides cleanly to close off homework or a call, a seat that finds the view out to the garden without leaving the activity of the house. When everyone’s around, the plan holds together; when the day slows, the twin pitches trace a soft shadow up the wall and the house settles into a steady, breathable calm.

Photography, Jim Stephenson.