A Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh has been reworked with a bold red brick rear extension that aims to sit comfortably against the home’s pale stone front. The project, by Leith-based architecture studio Pend, is located in the Newhaven Conservation Area and focuses on improving how the house connects to its garden.
Before the work, the home’s layout pushed visitors through more private rooms before they reached the kitchen and main shared spaces. Project architect Joanna Hobbs said the original entrance sat a level above the kitchen because of the site’s topography. Pend’s answer was a new, clearly defined secondary entrance within a single-story rear addition, offering a more direct path into the kitchen and primary entertaining areas while keeping the original entry intact.
The team also expanded existing openings to bring more daylight deeper into the plan and strengthen the link between indoors and outdoors.
For mason contractors, the material story stands out. The extension is clad in slender red bricks, and its curved form nods to existing curved masonry walls that had been previously repaired with brick infill. Hobbs highlighted another defining feature at the rear: a solid sandstone masonry curved wall that is more than 3 feet thick in places. That kind of historic massing and geometry can shape everything that follows, including tie-ins, transitions, and how new work meets old without looking forced.
Inside, the curved theme carries through with a circular skylight, a curved timber opening between spaces, and built-in curved shelving. Outside, the garden design follows the same approach, including a winding path, a paved terrace, and a curved, brick-lined planting bed with steps.
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