‘AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT’

THE REDESIGN OF THIS FOUR BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE WAS PRIMARILY TO CREATE A LIGHT, FLUID FAMILY HOME WITH THE FEELING OF SPACE.  IT WAS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE USE OF LARGE PICTURE SYTLE WINDOWS AND LIGHT REFLECTIVE MATERIALS.

This was a fantastic project to work on, it’s such a fantastic feeling bringing outdated family homes back to life by rethinking the layout and updating the interior design!

A design idea was imagined and relayed to the local architect who, working around the existing structure, cleverly came up with the plans.  The architect worked with the local council planning department and successfully obtained the necessary planning permission.  The plans included demolition of the single storey garage to the side with a two-story new build side extension in its place and the demolition of a single storey rear extension to be replaced with a single storey ‘L’ shaped rear extension.  These were added to meet with the demands of modern day family life and to maximise the projects return through adding substantial amounts of square footage.  Internally nothing was left untouched, walls were removed, moved, doorways removed and created, ceilings replaced, the roof replaced, utilities and supplies were moved.

On any project but even more so on a project like this it is imperative to have the right team of experts on site from building control, to structural engineers, through to the contractor – all parties need to work together, respect each others knowledge and act on instructions.

The first floor was re-designed to create a stunning bright landing, master bedroom with en-suite, three further bedrooms and house bathroom.  The old landing window was replaced with a tall new unit that gave the property individuality and brought streams of light into the first floor, the staircase and balustrades were replaced with oak handrails and sheets of glass that enhanced the look, reflecting the light around the space.
A Juliet balcony was added to the master bedroom to give the room a feature and a bit of character.

To the ground floor the bright entrance hall leads through to a fantastic large open plan dining and kitchen space.  From the central dining space a double width opening leads to the front lounge, providing flow while retaining separation.

The kitchen materials used were white gloss, oak fronts with a sheen finish and white quartz which reflected the light coming in from the large glass doors into the dining space in the centre of the property.  The varnished oak floor ran from the front door throughout the ground floor reflecting light and also adding warmth to the colour scheme.

A second living room created that doubles as a guest room or with a couple of minor tweaks could be altered to become a granny annexe or disabled suite.   What would usually be a ground floor cloakroom was turned into a luxury shower room that had access from the optional bedroom and also from the utility room at the other side for those wishing to utilise the room as a forma living space.