The Beeches
Keston Park was developed in the early 1920s by a developer called Frederick Rogers, who wanted to build large houses on large plots of land.
Keston Park, Kent
Following a visit to America at the turn of the century, he founded Keston Park on principles of houses in open space and in harmony with nature, similar to the early idealistic American suburban development model. Keston Park maintains the objective and character set during the 1920s and is protected within the Conservation Area description.
Our project resisted demolishing the relatively small original house. Instead, we carefully restored the character of the Arts & Crafts architecture and sensitively added contemporary extensions to the rear for more generous family living spaces. The project involved adding an entirely new thermal performing envelope externally to improve comfort and reduce the house’s energy usage. A traditional lime rendered was used externally to maintain the quality and appearance of the original Arts and Crafts period.
Spatially, the new and the old are merged with a common material palette of dark wood and modeled paint finishes. Larger rooms are created through new extensions to the rear with larger openings to connect access and views to the garden.
The new extensions are finished with a patinated copper cladding with modern detailing sympathetic to the original house.
Interview & House Tour
The Luxury Home Show, 2024
Completed 2016
Photography by Joshua Heasman, Ryan Wicks & The Modern House