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Architect in South London

22/06/2026

In Use: Morning, afternoon and evening… Tooting Bec House’s rear garden is south facing with views onto a neighbouring gable wall. The sun tracks conveniently so the harsher rays are part obscured by this gable. This forgives the use of large glazing here that can be thrown open to use the garden or closed off and watch the rain and bluster outside. What you always have though are long views towards the sky, so important for wellbeing and calm - the evening wine helps, too. Photos by Peter Molloy

18/06/2026

In Use: Introducing Tooting Bec house, a double storey timber framed extension that reframes the house. It’s 1.5 houses wide, an unusual type to work with. The house was bought with the idea of replacing a lacklustre rear addition. 4 years in the thinking, got planning in late 2023, and started on site in January 2025. 4 months in the ground, the structural frame built offsite whilst the groundworks were completed. 2 weeks to assemble, insulate, weatherproof and glaze. 4 months after that fitting out a new bedroom at first floor, a new bathroom, a WC, reconfiguring a utility room and forming a new kitchen and dining room that makes the house cohere with family life. Photo by Peter Molloy build by IC Construction .chatterton a fair amount of sweat equity from yours truly.

16/06/2026

On Site: The timber frame (after being built off-site earlier this year) is now being raised by This has been carefully sequenced with IC Construction bringing the ROCBLOC walls up which will be exposed internally. The care in these stages is really great to see on a tight site in this heat. This project has been on the drawing board since 2024 and simply wouldn’t have been standing in such a graceful way without the structural engineers .chatterton . Well done to all!

10/06/2026

In Use: At Peckham house, our client didn’t want many things on the conventional glazing market. So by using a cantilevering structural timber beam engineered by the amazing Trevor Scott, we were able to slide a Canadian Douglas fir 3.6m high door across the facade so the door leaf didn’t get in the way of the patio. Captured by

08/06/2026

Testimonial: If you are planning a project, finding the right architect will resolve thousands of future decisions. Sometimes projects are not linear, and working with director level guidance that Draper Studio offers throughout is often the most reassuring way of keeping things on track. It was a pleasure working with our Haringey clients and getting them the planning consent they patiently wanted. Looking forward to next steps with them and their project.

18/05/2026

Interiors for living in: looking forward to the proper photoshoot to our house in Tooting Bec very soon, but before these shots, there’s some moments before the finishing touches and staging. You’ll spot the points throughout the year since late Summer 25, Christmas and Spring 26 when these photos were taken - highlighting the same moments that make home so important. The simple, the yet to be finished, the stuff happening the through the keyhole bits of life and the hope in conveying the momentary glimpse of what home is…

30/04/2026

On the drawing board: Proposal for our reworking and extension of a house in SE London Conservation Area. Looking to use sawn Howley Park stone bricks throughout the extension, terracing and planters as it cascades down through the landscaping to plant out and screen views to maintain privacy. We’ve been careful not to add too much but the addition enables space for modern services that don’t encroach on the existing Victorian main house layout - thereby supporting new heating systems and creating a family living, eating and dining space with long views down the garden.

03/04/2026

Planning: In a bizarrely hard fought application our clients received their planning consent yesterday after protracted negotiations with the council. There’s a recent pattern of applications requiring post-submission engagement and drawing changes well after the 8week minor app determination period and date has passed. In this case, there was no site visit nor correspondence with the case officer until week 13. At that point the comments on design were basic and were borderline overreaching. Planners cannot refuse a design if they don’t like it. So when asked to justify the design amendments requested, after a round of boundary height reduction amends (to an already 2.5month delayed application) we requested, quite robustly, the council to provide justification in planning policy for the further amendments being requested. Knowing that these change requests are not policy, stated in the LA’s own design guides (because that really would be planners dictating design!), we pushed back again and again through emails. Based on our rebuttal, had they gone onto refuse, they would have had little chance at appeal and would likely have incurred costs. Turns out with a little Hail Mary, the local authority backtracked and our client’s patience was rewarded a shade under 3months after their determination date should have been. 🤯 Of course the planners got the EOT in the end though so the planning records show everything determined “on time”…

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