TOP TIP


“Plan ahead as much as possible and try to nail down the details”


KITCHEN Paul sourced the unusual lights for the dropped timber-lined ceiling in the kitchen; a bench forms a window seat


DINING


Above the dining table, shadows are cast by the glazed atrium, and colour introduced by the timber and ceramic artwork


to contest this decision to avoid holding up the planning process.


“One of the most important factors is to identify and understand the site, so a detailed appraisal is something that we start with on all projects,” explains architect Mufajel. “Then it’s about how someone feels in our spaces, as much as how the buildings look, and we try to really understand how a family wants to live in the house.


“This often involves an open plan layout and the use of glass to engage with the garden, looking at the vertical and horizontal circulation, and placing epasis on ow and ligt ro te moment you enter the house.”


The original design for a glass atrium was slightly adapted to appease neighbours and avoid overlooking, but overall the planning process proved straightforward. “We were designing the house to live in, rather than to resell at a profit and opening up te atriu did steal potential oor space sas aul. ig ceilings, spacious bedrooms, and an open plan layout were more important to us than cramming in multiple tiny rooms, though, and we love the final laout.


Once planning approval had been granted, Concept Eight Architects continued to project manage the build and advise throughout the process, providing a list of several potential building contractors. After meeting with them, Paul and Pernilla chose to employ LS Builders. “We got on extremely well, and they had such a positive attitude,” says Paul. “When we saw some of their other projects, which were really top end, we knew they’d do a good job.”


jul/aug 2024


Pernilla, Paul and their sons returned to the UK in 2020, right in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and moved into the old bungalow for eight weeks during the planning phase, sleeping on attresses on te oor ecause their furniture was in storage. They then rented a property during the build, initially for a 12 month period.


The existing bungalow on their plot was demolished in February 2021, and the site cleared. “It was hard to watch our investment being knocked down and realising that all we had left was a garden,” admits Paul. ea and lock ooring was laid on a combination of the bungalow’s original footings and freshly excavated concrete strip foundations, and Concept Eight Architects oversaw the project in conjunction with the builder, undertaking site visits with Paul every two weeks. Louisa O’Rourke, a director at the architectural practice, had taken on the role of lead architect and interior designer once the project design started in earnest. “One of the reasons that Paul and Pernilla appointed us was because we offer both architectural and interior design services in-house, which allows for a much more holistic process,” she explains. “Most of the team – including the main builders, the kitchen, joinery, and glazing suppliers – was assembled by Concept Eight in a one-stop-shop approach to the delivery of the project by a tried and tested wider team.”


Constructed in cavity blockwork, the contemporary house has been externally clad in a palette of render and stained Siberian larch. The roof is of natural slate, with sections of


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