To extend the kitchen, we dropped the level for height and drew on Italian inspiration: Renaissance and Tuscan. The clients gave clues from their home and social media styling, and set a vision of shared meals on a Tuscan veranda. We drew on the Italianate style of the terraced house using classic, perfectly proportioned Romanesque arches for framed views through house and garden. The repeated form drew on Raphael’s School of Athens (Pillars of knowledge). The space between is set for conversation: a relaxed, light, gathering space and a table as the centrepiece of family and intellectual life for sharing food and ideas.