LOW POINT


“Coming back week after week to see the property being pulled apart. It felt like we were going backwards for a long time before it went forwards.”


This revised layout also meant that one side of the house now feels more akin to a guest suite, which is perfect for when Antonia’s parents come to stay and need some privacy. “It’s not a small house,” architect Iain explains. “However, as with many houses of this age, the kitchens don’t do them justice. Antonia and Stewart wanted practicality and the back of house areas were as important as the main living spaces. There were several awkward nooks, especially in the study and boot room, which weren’t used – we tried to make them work better and give them a proper purpose.”


DESIGN AIMS Iain’s aim with the extension was not only to give his clients sociable family space inside, but also a better connection to the garden. “We were lucky we had screening from next door with a wall of hedging so we could maximise the natural light without forfeiting their privacy.” When it came to the look of the renovation, Antonia and Stewart also had several ideas. “We wanted to blend the old and the new; we wanted it to be warm and welcoming and also a little bit out there he at I lived in previously was white and beach-themed; it felt like it needed something quite different.”


This is best demonstrated in the new extension which not only blends the old and new parts of the house but also the traditional with the contemporary. “We were keen to expose the original brickwork,” Antonia recalls. “This is what the house looed lie eternally when it was first built before it was covered in the white render.” Iain continues: “The decision to remove the


render was a ‘suck it and see’ moment as we didn’t know what the original stone would be like underneath. However, I think the exposed stone with the steel looks industrial but without taking


sep/oct 2022


it too far. It’s a look that should stand the test of time. It’s not necessary to pepper a space with architectural statements and go over the top, one or two well-thought-through moments work just as well.”


Iain admits that there’s always a dilemma as to how contemporary to go when attaching to older buildings and whether to create a really big contrast or tie something in. “Here the issue was to get the roof to work as it turns the corner which posed several structural challenges. We had to make space in the original building without compromising its character. Working with what’s there and adopting a less is more approach is often better.”


Iain was also conscious of how the changes to


the property would fit in the eisting landscape as he explains: “Initially, we had proposed a large picture window to the front, but planning wouldn’t allow it. We had to really think about the presence of the property on the road and where we were taking views. I think we’ve managed to create a lovely big space that isn’t vast. It’s in the right place on the plot – it’s tucked away from the road and it’s private.” The family didn’t stay in the property while the work was being carried out and thanks to their builders it was a relatively smooth process. “We were lucky we found Apex Building Contracts who were recommended by Staran, and they were fantastic. They kept us well informed, and the end result is pretty much how we envisioned it.” Indeed, the only thing that came as a bit of a surprise was the scale of the extension. “We knew it would be big but not this big. Even when we went to the kitchen designer, they pointed out that we had more than enough room for a sofa and a fire heres a lot in here but it still eels really spacious.”


www.sbhonline.co.uk 69


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