About us

Scenario is a dynamic London-based practice specialising in residential architecture in and around the capital. We produce thoughtful, original, sustainable designs that juxtapose heritage and contemporary details and evolve to suit changing lifestyles. Our highly collaborative team uses leading-edge design technology to boost efficiency and drive down costs from concept through completion.

Projects

Open-plan kitchen and dining room with a mother and child on the window seat, and the garden through glazed doors
Visitors around the kitchen island at Scenario House during the NLA Open House event

Full renovation of a family home, exploring the connection between living spaces

The Scenario House, Stoke Newington during NLA Open house event

Starting your London project

London Architects Your London project

Most building projects in London require approval from the local authority. London architects can help you through the process, collaborating with council officials to see through your application. Scenario Architects has successfully steered clients through the permissions stage.

We’ve drawn up an illustrated synopsis to help guide you through the planning process for a London-based renovation, restoration, addition or new-build.

Living room with an arched fireplace opening set between built-in bookshelves
Visitors around the kitchen island at Scenario House during the NLA Open House event

Focal Shift fire place, first project as local architects in Hackney E9

The Scenario House, Stoke Newington during NLA Open house event

2017

Your Terrace House Extension project

Remodelling a period property requires vision, skill and a profound knowledge of the local area. Our architects adapt and extend terrace houses across London and the southeast, reconciling historical details with modern, innovative elements. We cultivate relationships with planners, regulators and tradespeople across the UK to make every project run smoothly.

If you are thinking about starting an architectural project in London, be it a renovation, or an extension to an existing property or even a new build house we are here to help.

We created a brief and illustrated overview of the process to help you understand what to expect through the various stages of a residential, extension, renovation or new build project in London.

Most projects need planning permission from your local council.

  TIP: To find out the actual track record which any architects you may be considering has with your local council, go to the planning application search page on your local council’s website and use the search by agent option.  

Open-plan kitchen with a dark island, brass pendants and an oak dining table, below a double-height rooflight

Tip

Working with Scenario Architecture on your London project

London Architects Your London project

Our boutique studio specialises in residential architecture, offering bespoke services for home additions, renovations and new-builds. Based in Wandsworth, we practice across London and beyond.

A RIBA Chartered Practice, Scenario complies with the UK’s strict health and safety criteria. We collaborate closely with our clients throughout every stage of the process, from the design phase, through planning and construction. We aim to deliver every project on time and on budget.

Our skilled team works with the latest 3D design technology: real-time digital visualisations and virtual reality. We feel they are the most effective and efficient tools for seeing through our work, choosing fittings and simulating natural light.

This Chartered Institute of Building case study features a recent Scenario project, demonstrating the benefits of advanced technologies in designing for the domestic sphere.

Split-level living space with children at a built-in plywood window seat, below dark pendants and a glass balustrade
White living room with a black leather sofa and a hide rug, beside an inset wood burner and its log store

Working with Scenario Architecture on your London project

Established in 2007, Scenario Architecture is a boutique architecture studio focused on the high-end residential sector, working extensively throughout and around London. We specialise in every scale and type of domestic project, from interior alterations, through full renovations and refurbishments to new build homes. We offer a full bespoke architecture service tailored to fit your requirements and aspirations.

Our friendly and highly skilled team has the knowledge, experience and expertise necessary to take you step-by-step through the challenging and exciting journey of creating your new home. We will work together with you in close collaboration from initial design, through detail design and planning all the way to tender, construction and successful completion of your project on time and within budget.

Scenario Architecture is an RIBA Chartered Practice, which essentially means that we are compliant with the RIBA (Royal Institute of Chartered Architects) strict criteria, covering insurance, health and safety and quality management systems.

As early adopters of latest technology, we use as a standard for all projects a verity of innovative 3D design and visualisation tools to create and communicate design with our clients. Our experience shows that Real-Time visualisations and Virtual Reality tours are extremely powerful tools to streamline the process of choosing material finishes fixtures and fittings as well as simulating realistic natural light conditions.

When we produce accurate and reliable construction information we use the latest 3D BIM technology, (BIM stands for Building Information Modelling) which means that all project information is derived from a single accurate and coordinated 3D model. Using this cutting-edge technology collaboratively with other consultants as well as contractors has proven to save time and cost for our clients.

A case study featuring one of our projects was published by the Chartered Institute of Building, demonstrating the great benefits of this advanced technology specifically with domestic projects.

Scenario Architecture in London deliver design and architectural expertise for residential projects. We were established in 2007 by Ran Ankory and Maya Carni who both trained with the AA School of Architecture. Scenario have grown to an award-winning team of nine. We have been featured in Dezeen and Elle Decoration UK.

Our highly experienced team of architects Stoke Newington work with clients using innovative 3D and Virtual Reality technology that simulates your new home before the first brick is even laid. This simulation technique allows you to see beautiful scenarios, designed to fit your life. An organic process, it often influences the choice of materials and design methods.

If you are looking for a top architects London, we can help with your project. We are a RIBA Chartered Practice and we operate across the following areas and postal districts: Camden, Dalston, Hackney, Hampstead, Highgate, Haringey, Islington, East London, Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair, Notting Hill, North London, West London, West Hampstead, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stoke Newington, N1, N6, NW3, N16 and E5.

Start your London project

Dining table and built-in bench under a drum pendant, beside full-height glazing onto the garden
Grey kitchen with a copper pendant and a polished concrete floor, opening onto the garden
White kitchen under a large glazed roof, with a black dog sitting by the units

Full-width extension opens to the beautiful garden of this Victorian property

Complete renovation and extension of a family home

A glazed roof draws daylight deep into the plan

Scenario is an established architecture practice focusing on contemporary residential design. We take on projects of every scale and scope, from home refurbishment, renovation and expansions to new-builds.

Victorian renovations are more compassionate today than they’ve ever been, with homeowners striving to preserve architectural elements like decorative cornicing, ceiling roses, skirting boards and dada rails. Sash windows are being replaced by specially made wood reproductions and wood-burning fireplaces recouped after being sealed off for decades. Paint companies like Farrow & Ball have built multinationals out of replicating the de rigueur colours of Victorian times. And new tile ceramicists are bringing back traditional motifs with contemporary silhouettes, for front gardens and foyers. Hardwood floors have made a comeback, with timber salvage and reproduction going strong.

Most renovations focus on transforming the core of the home, and revolutionise the kitchen and bathrooms in the process. To recoup the extra floor area today’s families have become accustomed to, London architects are extending into voids in the lofts and side returns common in Victorians. Small period kitchens can open up into the side return without eradicating period features; in the recovered space, a corner can be reserved for a powder room or utility room. Ditto the loft: pushing up the ceiling and pushing out dormer windows can make new space available for an en suite bathroom.

With extending out into dead space comes the welcoming in of natural light. Upward-facing Velux windows become possible once the upper floor is properly extended and the main floor pushed out beyond the confines of the original footprint. If a second-storey extension is permitted in your plans, an internal void can bring natural light from the top floor downwards, and vice versa.

London Architects In our clients words

scenario-architecture-testimonial-brendan We wanted to renovate our house in a conservation area in central London. Given this involved a complete demolition and new build with an extra floor on top, getting planning approval was always going to be tricky. Scenario did an amazing job on the new house 'envelope' and throughout the planning phase. We couldn't have wished for better from them and having succeeded in gaining planning approval owe them a very big 'thank you'.
scenario-architecture-testimonial-simon Scenario designed a kitchen extension for us, and we are delighted with the results. The process was well organised, planned and delivered, and the whole team were a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend them for their design, planning and project management skills.
scenario-architecture-testimonial-james Worked with these guys on the internal development of our office. From start to finish they were great. They got what we wanted first time and really made working with them very easy. Their aftercare has been great too helping us deal with something that they were not involved with in the first place. Will highly recommend them to anyone. See all Google reviews

Working with Scenario Architecture

Scenario is a small RIBA-chartered practice complying with the health and safety criteria of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Our architects are fluent in cutting-edge 3D visualisation technology for designing floor plans, choosing finishes and fittings and simulating natural light. Our building information modelling technology (BIM) produces reliable construction information, rendering accurate data on all our models. This saves our clients time and money.

In our client's words

Dalston is less a defined London territory than it is a neighbourhood of like-minded people. Roughly defined in the west by the A10, the city’s oldest Roman-dug road, it floats between Clapton, Hoxton and Islington. But more than its geographical location, it expresses itself with its liberal, tolerant, international attitude.

The working-class population that first settled here in the 19th-century, rippling out from the Regents Canal, converted farmland into industrial sites and small Victorian cottages. They were joined by immigrants from multiple countries and religions, together building up a modest community outside the confines of the City of London. After a postwar slump, the neighbourhood came alive toward the end of the last century. Artists began settling here, spilling out from Hoxton and Shoreditch, seeking inexpensive post-industrial workspace, artistic freedom and places to exhibit their art. As per the rules of gentrification, young professionals and families followed. They’ve transformed the old warehouses, factories and stables into appealing and spacious homes. And in the brownfields between them, architects have designed experimental contemporary homes, creating housing where none existed while pushing the boundaries of their craft.

Live-work spaces, purpose-built apartment blocks and modern terrace housing have sprung up among the historic brick and contemporary timber constructions, giving the neighbourhood a dynamic and unpredictable character. People of all cultures and brackets live side-by-side, and businesses are popping up to serve them. They combine to make Dalston an area of great potential, for people who seek a multicultural atmosphere and an unconventional lifestyle.

If you’re a fan of heritage housing, look to the streets radiating east off Stoke Newington High Street and Kingsland Road. Streets like Forest Road and Richmond Road, leading to Gayhurst Community School and London Fields, are chock-a-block with tall, broad Victorian family homes and repurposed factories. With the old brick and ironwork maintained, new residents are slowly fixing them up and maximising their potential. Further north, Shacklewell Lane, Sandringham Road and St Marks Rise are attracting new buyers to the grand tree-lined streets. Homes here rise to four storeys, many of them in need of an upgrade. Buyers seeking a fixer-upper, or a tired family home on which to put a personal stamp, would have lots of opportunity here. At the heart of this enclave sits St Marks Dalston, one of the largest neighbourhood churches in the country – larger in area than Southwark Cathedral. Its Gothic rose window and French-inflected tower, built a century ago, dominate the road.

Loft extensions are more of a rule than an exception in Dalston, as are side-return kitchen extensions. Local architects like Scenario are well versed in the expansion and renovation process here, and manoeuvre their designs successfully through the planning and heritage departments. The results are often stripped-back, light-filled versions of the original Victorian architecture, offering vast entertaining spaces and private nooks for growing families.

Further Reading

The ingenuity of London architects throughout the ages means we get a phenomenal array of building on our streetscapes. But there is one constant across the country – certainly across London. And that is the terrace house. Massive expansion in the late 18th century to the early 20th century means long residential streets chock-a-block with terraced housing appeared month to month. They were adorned in any number of ways, with friezes and spires, bow, bay and leaded-glass windows, lacy gables and columns. But the interiors were strikingly similar. The layout of a terrace house in Chiswick, West London, is scarcely different from one in Stratford.

This means architects have perfected many approaches to revitalising, renovating and expanding the terrace house. As our lifestyles change over time, solutions for upgrading bathrooms, maximising natural light, opening up communal areas and improving flow get more efficient and more sophisticated. Here are a few ways we can turn a standard Victorian terrace house into a dream home of epic proportions.

• Convert the loft Most terraces houses have storage space in the eaves with potential for a bedroom or two and small shower room. Depending on your budget, you can extend your staircase into the second floor, push up the roof at the rear and get creative with the space. Some couples install an open bath in the boudoir space, replace walls with glazing and build custom storage beneath the rooflights.

• Extend into the side return Victorian gardens tend to cut into the house at the side, creating an impractical void. Pushing the kitchen into this void can recoup some valuable space and open up opportunity for wow-factor design. Kitchen islands can move into the space, along with expandable tables, living spaces, utility rooms and alcove gardens. Advancements in steel-framed glazing allow us to fully open up the rear of a home with bi-fold, concertina or sliding glass doors and retractable ceilings. In warm weather, all distinctions between indoors and out evaporate.

• Open the common rooms With an interior pillar or steel ceiling beam, you could completely eliminate the long interior wall separating the hallway from the living spaces. Removing that wall even partially lets natural light travel from the front to rear and back, livening up a dim lounge or kitchen. • Up your bedroom count If you’ve already pushed up the loft and pushed out the kitchen, you could squeeze in an extra bedroom on the second-floor landing over the expanded kitchen. An extra volume half-way to the new loft can accommodate a single room, nursery or dressing room to support the larger master bedroom. Having the flexibility of an extra bedroom means you can expand a poky bathroom into one of the existing rooms or create a new bathroom altogether.

• Dig down Most Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses have a cellar beneath the kitchen – really just a coal hole to heat the house from below. If you don’t have enough height in the space, you could excavate, at a cost. You’ll also have to underpin your foundations, add climate control and tank the basement against damp. If you’re in desperate need of storage, or a small room for guests, this will make sense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Renovating a Terraced House: How to Extend, Remodel and Update

Terraced houses are a common sight in the United Kingdom, and many people want to renovate them. Here is some excellent advice on extending, remodeling, and updating terraced houses that will help you turn your house into something new.

When renovating, you should:

  • Seek the proper consultation
  • Consider the cost
  • Consider the space you are renovating

How to Add Value to Your Property?

To add value to your home, you should do everything possible to increase its beauty. As buyers walk into your home, they should be awed. Remember, first impressions matter. So if they were from seeing a couple of houses before, ensure yours is what they keep reminiscing even as the day comes to an end. To do this, you should:

Decorate and decorate well. With some good decoration, your house can be the most beautiful one in the neighbourhood.

Focus on a few key features to create an eye-catching focal point that will mesmerise visitors. For example, if you have great flooring or unique windows, highlight them--but don't overdo it, or visitors won't know where to look.

What Are The Party Wall Laws For Terraced House Extensions?

As it is a terraced house, the party wall laws are different. It would be best if you didn't build too close to your neighbour's property line as this would be encroaching on their space, and they could take you to court over this. The good news, though, is that there should be no problem if you leave enough room for them next door- typically, this is six feet.

Of course, the best way to avoid any legal problems and complications when building or extending your property would be to speak with a qualified solicitor who can advise you on the legal stipulations. It's always worth getting professional advice before making decisions that could affect you for years.

How to Add a Kitchen Diner Extension?

If you have a kitchen coming up against the wall of your property, it might be possible to add on and turn it into something much more helpful. This process would take some work as there are various constraints, including party walls, but with careful planning and sound advice from an architect or builder, this could create all sorts of extra space for your family to enjoy.

How to Create a Bigger Kitchen?

If you need extra space in your kitchen, it might be possible to add on an extension--or even remove flooring and walls from other parts of your home and put them into the room. It would help if you also considered whether you want a separate dining area or not, making designing a larger kitchen even more difficult.

How Much Does It Cost For A Terraced House Extension?

The price of an extension will vary, and it's essential to consider the costs before you start work on your project. You need to know how long the whole process is likely to take, which materials you'll be using (some are cheaper than others), and the cost of those materials.

How to Enlarge an Entrance Hallway?

One of the best ways to remodel an entrance hallway is by adding onto your stairs. If you're happy to live with the space around them, it might be possible- however, this will affect how much room there is on each floor and make future extensions more difficult. It would be best to consider whether you need an elevator to make the building more accessible.

Whose Permission Will You Need?

You will need to get permission for any building or extension from the planning authorities. If you live in a terraced house, this is even more difficult as permitted development rights rules may not cover your project, and so you'll have to apply for full planning consent before starting work.

How To Add A Downstairs Or Add A Basement?

It's possible to add a downstairs extension or basement if you have enough space. The most important thing is that the ground slopes away from your house, so there won't be any risk of flooding- so it pays to do some research in this area before getting started. Also, consider whether you want an open plan design, as this will make building a new house more manageable.

How to Create an Open-Plan Layout?

Step One: Decide the rooms you want to include in your project and their sizes. Remember, if there's any significant difference between how long or wide they are, it might be tricky to get them all fitted into one space--so do your research.

Step Two: Draw an outline of your house on the ground or floor and then mark out where you want each room to go. You can use a drawing program on your computer if you prefer, but make sure it's accurate before getting any building work done.

How to Move a Bathroom Upstairs?

It might be possible to move your bathroom upstairs if you have a downstairs extension. However, this will depend on the size of the room and what kind of access you will need, and it'll also need planning permission before going any further.

Are You Adding More Bedrooms To A Terraced Building?

It's possible to add more bedrooms if you have an upstairs extension- but this will depend on the size of your property and how much room there is already. You can also create a studio or office area by adding space onto the back garden, but keep in mind that it'll be difficult for anyone to gain access without going through another room-so; it's worth considering who will be using the space.

What Is The "Right To Light" Law?

The right to light law means that you cannot build anything on your property, which will prevent a neighbour from receiving natural daylight. If the window in question faces east, this is a problem as buildings get in the way of sunlight, and so there's an obligation not to do anything that will obstruct or reduce access to light- at least without permission.

The main lesson from this blog post is that renovating a terraced house can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Therefore, if you consider getting started on your renovation project, the best thing to do would be to get in touch with one of the experts who will help you plan how much it should cost and what steps you need to take.