In Conversation with Architect Benjamin Wilkes

Working as an architect and interior designer duo, they take a joined-up approach from the outset, shaping homes that feel cohesive, practical, and carefully considered for the people who live in them.

The Strata House Kitchen is a contemporary extension to a South London Victorian home, designed to reconnect the house with the garden through natural materials and thoughtful detailing. It features kitchen fronts from our HUSK x Another Country collection, alongside natural oak timber veneer elements.

For readers who may be new to your work, could you briefly introduce yourself and your practice, and the Strata House project in Brockley?

Ben: Benjamin Wilkes is a South East London-based architecture and interior design studio, led by myself and my wife Joanna. I am an architect and Joanna is an interior designer, and together we work on home renovations, extensions and interiors, bringing both disciplines together from the very start of the process.

Our work is very collaborative and client-led. We are interested in creating timeless, practical and joyful homes that reflect the people who live in them, using natural materials that will improve with age.

Strata House is a Victorian terrace in Brockley, South London, where we designed a ground floor extension, garden landscaping and full house redecoration. The brief was to create a light-filled, spacious sanctuary that brought the garden into the home, while still respecting the existing character of the house. The project became known as Strata House because of the layered use of materials, including limestone and reclaimed London stock bricks selected to sit comfortably alongside the original Victorian fabric.

Strata House combines original Victorian elements with modern updates, what was the main idea guiding the renovation overall?

Ben: The guiding idea was to create a light-filled, spacious sanctuary, using modern interventions that were woven carefully alongside the existing characteristics of the house.

Rather than creating a sharp contrast between old and new, we wanted the extension to feel like a considered continuation of the existing Victorian terrace. The material palette was therefore deliberately warm, natural and robust. We used reclaimed London stock bricks to relate to the original house, alongside limestone, oak, reeded glass and natural limewash paint. These are materials that have texture and variation, and which will continue to age well over time.

We were keen to avoid anything too hard, shiny or clinical. The architecture, interiors and garden were considered together, so that the ground floor felt calm, generous and connected, rather than like a series of separate design decisions.

The kitchen uses a mix of the HUSK x Another Country collection in Devon Red and Natural Oak Timber Veneer. What led you and your client to choose this colour and material combination?

Ben: The colour and material combination felt right because it brought warmth, depth and a sense of craft to the kitchen.

The Devon Red gives the island and cabinetry a lovely richness without feeling overpowering. We particularly liked that the timber grain remains expressed through the red finish, so the island still has texture and character rather than feeling flat or overly uniform. It sits comfortably with the reclaimed London stock brick, limestone and softer decorative palette elsewhere in the house.

The Natural Oak Timber Veneer then balances this with something quieter and more grounded, tying the kitchen back to the oak-framed corner window, pantry door and other timber details.

We did not want the kitchen to feel like a standard white box inserted into the space. The HUSK x Another Country collection allowed the kitchen to feel more like a piece of furniture within the room, which was important given how connected it is to the dining and living areas.

When selecting the kitchen, what were the “must haves” for you and your client in terms of layout, storage, and day-to-day use?

Ben: The kitchen needed to be highly practical, but also calm and uncluttered.

In layout terms, the island was important because it creates a natural centre to the space. It allows the client to cook, prepare food and interact with people seated at the dining table or banquette, rather than facing away from the room.

Storage was also key. We wanted the everyday working areas of the kitchen to feel generous, but without everything being on display. The pantry became an important part of this, allowing more functional storage to sit slightly separately, while the main kitchen could remain open and elegant.

The kitchen also needed to support everyday life as well as entertaining. It had to feel comfortable for one person making a coffee in the morning, but also work well when the house was full of people.

What made a HUSK kitchen the right fit for this project compared to other options you considered?

Ben: HUSK felt like a good fit because it offered a balance between design quality, material warmth and flexibility.

For this project, we needed a kitchen that could sit comfortably within a very considered architectural and interior scheme. The HUSK fronts allowed us to introduce colour, texture and timber in a way that felt refined, but not overly polished.

There is also a simplicity to the system that suited the project. It allowed us to achieve something that felt bespoke and characterful, while still being practical and robust for day-to-day use.

How did the kitchen influence the way the rest of the ground floor was planned, for example, the flow between cooking, dining, and living spaces?

Ben: The kitchen was central to how the ground floor was planned.

The space is open and connected, but we wanted to avoid it feeling like one large, undefined room. The kitchen, island, dining table and banquette each help to structure the plan and create different moments within the ground floor.

The kitchen faces into the room and towards the garden, so cooking becomes part of the wider life of the house. The dining area sits close by, with the L-shaped banquette creating a more intimate and comfortable place to sit. Beyond that, the large openings and oak-framed corner window draw the eye out to the garden and bring light deep into the plan.

Were there any details in the kitchen that really improved how the space is used day to day?

Ben: The banquette has made a big difference. It provides a comfortable, informal place to sit that works throughout the day, whether for coffee, working, reading or entertaining.

The large oak-framed corner window is also very important. It brings in a lot of light and creates a strong connection with the garden, which changes the atmosphere of the kitchen completely.

The pantry is another key detail. It allows some of the more functional parts of the kitchen to be tucked away, which helps the main space remain calm and uncluttered. Together, these elements mean the kitchen is not just a place to cook, but somewhere to spend time.

Looking back, what advice would you give someone starting a renovation who is trying to decide how much importance to place on the kitchen early in the process?

Ben: I would always advise thinking about the kitchen early.

In many homes, particularly Victorian terraces, the kitchen is closely tied to how the whole ground floor works. Its position affects circulation, light, storage, dining, views to the garden and how people gather in the space.

That does not mean every detail needs to be decided on day one, but the overall strategy should be considered from the beginning. A good kitchen is not just about the cabinetry, it is about how it supports the wider architecture, the flow of the ground floor, and the daily rituals of the home.

Want to see more of Benjamin Wilkes or get in contact?

Website: benjaminwilkes.com

Instagram: @benjaminwilkesarc