A Room With a View

Previously, the house felt cut off from its garden and the living space too tight to comfortably host the clients’ extended family. Pocket doors now replace hinged doors throughout the ground floor to improve connection between the new expanded living room, kitchen and hallway while maintaining the possibility of detaching the spaces from one-another.

The connection between the dining area and hallway in particular opens up a perspective through the house, and makes it possible to enjoy a view of the garden from arrival. Special consideration was paid to lighting, with the intention of creating a comfortably lit space rather than one flooded with light.

The glazing, carefully positioned downlights and pendants create a layered lighting effect that is as practical for displaying artworks as watching television in the lounge and dining at the table. Externally the extension reads as a folly-like structure raised by the patio.

The back wall of the extension is fully glazed, opening the room to the newly landscaped garden of herbaceous planting and patios cradled by the mature trees of neighbouring properties. The glazing continues around one corner of the extension to offer a perspective towards a pergola adjoining the kitchen that will be softened by the foliage of climbing plants.

Frames and curtain tracking is tucked into a recess beyond the height of the ceiling to give a view uninhibited by visual clutter and add to the sense of connection between indoors and outdoors.

On a minuscule footprint, we have created a space in which our clients can now comfortably entertain their children and grandchildren, and enjoy their garden more fully in retirement.

Annual CO2 emissions data (requested in kg/m2/year) was not provided.