Words Billie Brand
Photography Elliot Sheppard

The façade of Alan Martin Day and Russell Vandyk’s Victorian terrace house in Haringey, north London, looks like every other on its road – but beyond the front door, it’s a very different story. Two years ago, the retired couple commissioned Studio Ben Allen to transform the home they’ve lived in for over 40 years. There was a brief of sorts – the kitchen and bathrooms needed renovation, for instance, as did the rear of the house – but unlike most clients, Alan and Russell gave practice founder Ben and project leader Omar Ghazal complete creative control over the design; the chance to experiment without restraint.

Ben and Omar let their creative juices flow. They used pigmented concrete in bold jewel tones to complete the design inspired by far-flung places, such as East Asia and the Middle East. The finished refurbishment is subsequently full of shape, colour, texture and light, and has been appropriately titled The House Recast. Although Alan and Russell admit their personal style is somewhat more classical, they couldn’t be more pleased with their remarkable new home. Here, as they show us around, they tell us about the delightful outcome of taking a leap of faith with the design.

Alan: “The house has been completely transformed. It really feels like something extraordinary has been done to our home.”

Russell: “We moved here in May 1980 and have lived here for 41 years. There used to be a small, dark galley kitchen with only one window and a dining table squidged up against it, and the garden was just a scrappy bit of land. I don’t know why we lived like that for so many years.”

Alan: “It’s not as if we were indifferent or sloppy. The house just wasn’t really at the centre of our universe. When we were young, we had different priorities. A lot of our life was outdoors. Now, it’s about home comforts. We reached the point where we had to do something about the house – and so, we needed an architect.

“I used to be a member of London Frontrunners, a running club in London – Russell still runs with them – and after each run, the club socialises. I was talking to a friend, Omar, and I happened to say to him, ‘do you know anybody who is a designer?’ ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘me.’ Even though he was a friend, we had no idea he was an architect.”

Russell: “It had never come up! On our runs, we’d talk about the Middle East – he’s from Jordan and I’m Jewish, and we’d compare notes. Omar mentioned later that he wanted to bring those Middle Eastern elements into the design of the house.

“He introduced us to his colleague, Ben Allen of Studio Ben Allen. We looked at their portfolio and familiarised ourselves with what they’d done in the past.”

Alan: “There was a very close collaboration in the consultations, but we never challenged anything. We did not impose on the design. So, this is an extraordinary thing – it was a leap of faith. And we’re so happy that we didn’t start tutting and saying no. Although we did have a 3D model, so we knew where they were going with it.”

Russell: “Alan’s argument was, if we restrict them, we’re not going to end up with anything very interesting. There were a lot of coloured concrete samples being shown in the consultations. I’ve always liked strong colours, but coloured concrete was foreign to me – my idea of concrete was the grey of the Barbican or the National Theatre. If we had gone for a conventional extension, or done the design ourselves, we’d never have thought of something like this.”

Alan: “The use of colour is immensely tasteful. The architects said they wanted to do something different, something esoteric. But you must be sensitive to the local authorities and what they’re comfortable with. Because this is a Victorian house, they minded what we did with it.

“The Victorians were very interested in oriental things, and they were very familiar with other cultures and styles. Ben and Omar researched the local area and showed the authorities how there were Eastern influences on Victorian homes already. It wasn’t exactly totally alien to bring in these exotic touches. That was the thin end of the wedge – to establish that there was nothing totally outrageous about it.”

Russell: “The local authorities generally have a view that the fronts of Victorian houses shouldn’t change. This was built in 1892, and from the front, it still looks roughly like it did then. That goes for all the houses on this street. But you can do what you like to the back. And so, Ben and Omar did. One of the neighbours said the back of the house is an eyesore! But most of the people in Haringey do approve of a little bit of adventure.”

Alan: “The work has totally transformed how we use the space. For me, it’s such a delight. Usually, when you have big changes, the excitement diminishes over time, and you get very blasé. I still see this house and I think it’s amazing. I’m absolutely thrilled to bits with it. I just think it’s so extraordinarily clever what they’ve done to the space. And central to that is the double-height space and this extraordinary balustrade. In good light, everything reflects.”

Russell: “You’ve got light coming into the house from all different angles – through the arched inside windows, from the glass roof in the kitchen. You get this lovely, dappled light coming in onto the ground in the kitchen, through the arches. All that’s new. This feels like a new house – and yet, it’s our old house. It’s what we were very familiar with. That makes it very special.

“You don’t know what you like, necessarily, until you’ve seen it. Sometimes your taste is influenced by what you end up with. You grow to like it and then you just acclimatize to it. I just like the fact that this combines the old house with the new. We have the feeling of rootedness because we’ve been here since 1980, and yet something so imaginative has been done to it.”

Alan: “We have a very catholic taste when it comes to art. I can’t say I relate to the design of this house because I don’t. The aesthetic isn’t part of my heritage. But at the same time, we’re very comfortable with it. The result is completely different to anything we might’ve thought about. It’s extraordinarily adventurous. I’m so pleased that we allowed it. We allowed them to create the way they wanted to create without limitations.”