Workers' Cottage Waterloo

The clients work a lot in the city and so wanted to live somewhere very central but didn’t need a lot of space. What they did want was a beautiful contemporary open plan space to live in and a big master bedroom and ensuite, plus guest accommodation. The existing house felt very cramped with very small rooms and a staircase that bisected the plan but with some clever re-modelling which involved moving the central staircase and extending into the attic we unlocked the space which allowed proper sized rooms to be achieved. With the addition of a new glazed extension to the rear the ground floor was turned into one large open plan space. As part of the refurbishment the ground floor floor, all walls and roof were all upgraded with new insulation to improve the thermal performance of the property. The kitchen, staircase and joinery were all made bespoke in a local workshop from a combination of oiled Douglas fir and black stained oiled oak. The overall effect is a of very contemporary, light filled urban home contained within a traditionally built shell. From the street the cottage look has been respected and the exterior was changed very little as a result of the refurbishment, whilst the interior has been completely transformed.