82 High Street

The dwelling is built into a steep slope and accessed at second floor level from the footpath. The front room was being used as a through room, there was a windowless basement below and there was no dining room as such. Our clients were looking to make better use of the space with a new kitchen and a direct relationship to a new dining room. Our solution was to remove the floor of second storey to create a new double height kitchen with access across the stair landing to a new dining room.

A new hallway links the entrance to the central stair and Building Regulations dictate that this route needs to be fire protected. To achieve this tall gallery doors are held open on magnets and self close upon activation of the smoke alarm. The main run of kitchen units, shelving and kitchen extract sit neatly below the gallery with a separate island unit in the room.

The result is a dramatic double height space with visual connections between levels that now forms the centrepiece of the home.