Business Up Front, Party in the Back: A Creative, Eco-Friendly House Update in West London
Aurore Baulier earned her architecture degree in Brittany and her masters in sustainable architecture in Gothenburg, Sweden. Back in her native France, she was a member of Louis Vuitton’s in-house architecture firm when Barber & Osgerby lured her to their Universal Design Studio in London. It proved a good move: a decade later, Aurore runs her own RIBA-chartered London practice, Atelier Baulier, specializing in sustainable design (Aurore also happens to be a certified PassivHaus Designer).
One of the firm’s recent projects, a West London house update for a family of four, caught our eye thanks to its well-restored Edwardian façade and back extension with a gleaming sawtoothed roofline. Aurore describes the overhaul as a “low-carbon deep retrofit highlighting the use of natural materials as a new standard.” Think hidden features, such as wood fiber insulation and a heat pump in the garden, as well as generous new living spaces with lime plaster and stained plywood finishes, and a lot of natural light. We’re not the only ones who have taken note: the house has been nominated for ArchDaily’s Building of the Year 2026 and shortlisted for a RIBA London award. Join us for a look around.
Photography by Jim Stephenson, courtesy of Atelier Baulier (@atelier.baulier).
Above: The semidetached, turn-of-the-century structure was in a moldering state when Phoebe and Paul Sprinz bought it (scroll to the end to for a glimpse as it was and some in-progress shots). The family had lived nearby and liked its location and original detailing, but they needed more space and prioritized an eco-minded approach.
Above: The period front door and glazed tiling were restored and the exterior is now finished with Brouns & Co. linseed oil paint, an age0-old, durable, permeable choice made from flax seed.
Above: Out back things zig and zag. The multi-story addition houses a new kitchen as well as a lofty, two-bedroom attic for the family’s two teens. The jagged roof lines led the designers to dub the project Twin Pitches.
Aurore writes: “The inverted double-pitch draws inspiration from the geometry of the original outrigger, replicating its 22-degree slope. The new roof shifts upward at a 55-degree angle opposite the existing slope, creating a striking double-peak silhouette.” The extension has a timber frame and is finished with salmon-colored lime render from Lime Green. The tiles that wrap around the base serve as “protective skirting, safeguarding the lime render from water splashes while adding visual richness and tying into the green tiled foot of the front door.”
Above: The front hall, with preserved stair and stained glass, overlooks the extension.
Above: In addition to running her own firm Aurore Baulier is a leader of the Natural Materials group within the UK’s Architects Climate Action Network, which goes by the acronym Architects CAN!.
Above: Oriented to the garden and brightened by sky lights, the kitchen, Aurore writes, is “intentionally defined by zones for different activities, suitable for comfortable movement around cooking and hosting.” The wide-plank flooring has radiant heating.
Above: Green linseed oil-stained plywood walls are paired with custom plywood cabinetry tinted pale pink, both using Linolie wood oils. The backsplash requires a doubletake: it’s timber terrazzo from Foresso, a new material made of recycled wood (chips, offcuts, sawdust), mineral powders, and bio-based resin.
Above: Owners Paul and Phoebe Sprinz—he directs and produces marketing videos, she runs an HR firm—were completely aligned with Aurore on making choices that minimize the house’s carbon footprint.
Above: The living room and adjoining snug are an archway away.
Above: An original fireplace—previously white, now painted an Edward Bulmer brilliant yellow—in the main bedroom suite. Built-in plywood wardrobes provide much-needed storage.
Above: A glimpse of the family bath with tiles from Claybrook.
Above: A porthole view of the attic stair. The interior walls throughout are finished with Solo Onecoat lime plaster from Lime Green.
Above: The interior walls throughout are finished with Solo Onecoat lime plaster from Lime Green.
Above: The two top-floor kids’ bedrooms feel like plywood tents.
Throughout the project Atelier Baulier used rotary-cut European pine plywood from Specialised Panel Products finished here with linseed oil.
Above: A desk with a rooftop view
Before and In Progress
Above: The house had been empty for years.
Above: The back garden, one of the property’s attractions for the Sprinzes, offered room for a substantial addition.
Above: The kitchen extension framing. “Rather than standard concrete foundations, the rear extension sits on screw piles, a faster, more cost-effective, and low-impact solution,” writes Atelier Baulier.
Above: External walls were fitted with wood fibre insulation panels. New timber-framed windows are from Bereco.
For more green-minded design ideas, consult our book Remodelista: The Low-Impact Home.
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