'We had a high expectation of craftsmanship, just like the Arts and Crafts designers would have done in their day. We avoided concealing construction behind plaster finishes, choosing to detail the timber roof so that its construction is visible and selecting a relatively light tone brick that’s exposed internally.'

Flitch House is a garden room extension to a Category B Listed house in Edinburgh, it was originally built in 1895 and designed by Alexander Hunter Crawford ( a notable Edinburgh architect at the turn of the twentieth century).

The house is at the end of a short terrace of 4 villas, unusual in their red brick and mock timber facades which is more in keeping with the emerging middle-class suburbs in England at the time than the buff sandstone of upper class Edinburgh.

Oliver Chapman Architects have designed the new addition as a contemporary interpretation of Arts & Crafts ideals, they have used a subtle muted material palette with light-coloured Petersen brick, Douglas fir and oxidised copper. Craftsmanship is the main focus of the design and the new extension allows for the ground floor space to be reorganised with new living and dining room areas which are cleverly linked together as a sequence of spaces which accommodate entertaining as well as modern family life.

The kitchen is positioned at the heart of the plan and from it the new garden room allows the new spaces to gradually step down towards the garden, at each level change bespoke joinery marks the transition with seating, steps and storage. The warm grey of the Architop micro-concrete floor internally sits comfortably with the Caithness terrace outside.

The Arts and crafts ethos is embraced with the use of exposed materials in the extension, getting the most out of each material and illustrating clarity of form and construction. The light-coloured brick complements the existing red brick and the timber roof is expressed with the flitch beams, thin steels sandwiched between thick timbers to increase their strength and span, which allow the roof to lift up at the edges to allow views out to the Firth of Forth.

Care has been taken to bring as much light as possible into the sheltered north-facing extension. The walls and roof were thickened to maximise thermal performance, allowing for a larger glazed area, while the roof steps back from the house to form a rooflight, bringing light deep into the plan.

An area is created by the thick walls for the sofa and an enclosed bookcase  – a modern twist on the traditional ‘Edinburgh press’ (doorway shaped recessed cupboard). Off the dining area, a small drinks nook lined with Douglas fir panels provides a space for the Client to prepare drinks when entertaining, the panelling references back to the existing panelled alcove around the fireplace in the kitchen. These pockets of space are characteristic of the Arts & Crafts approach, creating intimate moments off the main room.

While the early Arts & Crafts movement was a reaction against the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, Flitch House combines the clients’ appreciation for craft and natural materials with their desire for a ‘smart home’, including wireless lighting and automated blinds. As the architect's put it; 'this is arts and crafts without the bell pull.'