Cobalt Coach House

Which has increased its capacity by creating two new bedrooms, a new bathroom, a new utility room and downstairs WC and which features a full-width, double-height living space and a sculptural blue-stained plywood staircase over two floors. The brief at the outset was to increase the capacity of the house to suit the needs of a family with young children whilst also retaining and celebrating the characterful elements of the house including the original coach door openings and an eccentric twisting fireplace. Given the original house was oversized for the number of bedrooms it contained, this was achievable by remodelling the house rather than extending it. Given the orientation of the house and the lack of space to the rear of the property, a key design idea was to maximise light through the street-facing façade by introducing a double-height space and improving the connection to the front courtyard. The remodelling required the removal of all internal walls except for a single masonry spine wall which was retained for structural reasons. Significant temporary propping was required to support the floors and roof whilst a new internal steel structure was installed which allowed for the addition of a new floor at second-floor level and the removal of existing floors to create a full-width, double-height entry space and a full-height vertical opening for the new stair. New internal windows help to draw natural light into the first floor and to allow views out over the double-height space. A large, bespoke corrugated and galvanised steel gate gives the house a contemporary presence on the street.