Gundry and Ducker's Slate House is an extension clad with hexagonal tiles
Hexagonal slate tiles cover this extension to a west London home designed by architects Christian Ducker and Tyeth Gundry to create a bright and spacious new kitchen (+ slideshow).
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
London-based Gundry & Ducker extended the rear of the Victorian property in Kensal Rise, replacing a dark and narrow kitchen and bathroom with a large cooking and dining space that opens out to the garden.
"In the existing arrangement of this house, the kitchen was based in a low, narrow space at the rear," said the architect duo, whose previous projects include a blackened larch-clad extension in south London.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
"Our brief was to focus on this area, and to form a large, dramatic, light and open kitchen, living and entertaining space that worked all year round as the heart of the home."
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
An extra strip of land along the side of the house allowed the designers to create a larger area than the typical London house extension, although the clients were still keen to retain "a comfortable domestic feeling".
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
To achieve this, the architects selected a palette of simple but traditional materials that they felt could be used in a contemporary way, including slate tiles and timber tongue-and-groove panelling.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
The hexagonal tiles clad the garden-facing facade, flanking a patio that allows residents to dine outdoors.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
Inside, the wooden panels cover some of the walls and a sloping section of the ceiling. Some form chevron patterns, while others create stripes that conceal doors and cupboards.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
A "secret entrance" to a larder is also concealed within the lines of the panelling.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
A skylight follows the orientation of the kitchen worktops, highlighting a sightline between a picture window and a doorway leading through to the rest of the house.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"A window seat with a view of a tree forms a visual focus to the end of the kitchen area and provides a pleasant place to sit, whilst the dining area opens out into the garden via a pair of french doors," added Gundry and Ducker.
Dark ceramic tiles frame the oven and fridge-freezer, and the cut-crystal light bulbs by London designer Lee Broom form one of three types of light fixture introduced.
![Slate House by Gundry and Ducker](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Slate-House-by-Gundry-and-Ducker_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
The room sits two steps lower than the floor level of the rest of the storey, creating an informal seating perch along the end wall.
Photography is by Hufton + Crow.
Project credits:
Architects: Gundry & Ducker
Structural Engineer: Toynbee Associates