Approaching a renovation or extension with Rees Architects
‘A piece of architecture is not a fashion piece. It’s a building that should typically be around for hundreds of years, like the old Victorian buildings.’
With that statement, Daniel Rees, founder and lead architect and designer at Rees Architects, captures the essence of his timeless approach to home improvement. There’s a lot that goes into creating a design that can withstand the hands of time, however, and Daniel takes a three-pronged approach.
‘First of all, we look at the building and talk to the client about how they like to live,’ explains Daniel, as we explore two London properties that’ve recently benefitted from his expertise.'
‘I’m big on making a project or a home functional for the person who lives there. There’s no point having a really minimal kitchen that looks beautiful if you haven’t got the right storage to put stuff away, because it just looks cluttered all the time.'
‘The second thing is materiality. We’re always thinking about how we can use materials, and the more we can pull them through into every part of the building the better.'
‘We’re not going to just build a wall out of blockwork as it’s the cheapest thing. If we can build a wall out of something you can then expose on the inside, not only can it be visual, but it can affect the acoustics, it can affect the tactility of the space, the heating, the cooling. There’s so much you can pull out of materials.'
‘And the third aspect we like to think about is beauty. We say beauty, but it’s really about making something that people love. That way it will be cherished over time and will last a lot longer, because when you treat it like a fashion piece it’ll go out of fashion and won’t be timeless.’
Timelessness and graceful ageing also feed heavily back into the material decisions.
‘Materials that patinate over time because they wear down, they change, get more beautiful in that way. For me, using the right materials that will get more beautiful over time, rather than go out of fashion, is important.’
This idea plays out in Daniel’s extensive use of timber – ‘wood is a practical material, but it’s also very warm so it makes a house feel quite comfortable’ – and his choices of fixtures and fittings.
‘I pay a lot of attention to tactility. If something feels good to use, then you’re subconsciously thinking this is a nicely put-together project because not only are you seeing it but you’re feeling it at the same time.'
‘We use Corston fixtures and fittings because they’re really driven by the materials. So quite a simple plate that’s [made] out of solid brass, it’s already aged slightly, and all the switches and buttons are elegant.'
‘They don’t detract from what’s around them…and work with everything else in the building.'
‘We want something that sits into a house, that looks like it’s been there for a long time and that it’ll be there for a long time to come. That’s why we chose Corston.’
Published on 15th October 2025
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