Barnes Village House
This handsome semi detached Victorian house arrived on our drawing board in much need of modernisation. The house had not been touched for 40+ years and was in need of significant repair. The owners were a family that travelled extensively for work with three grown up children, so the house had to be able to readily welcome home the brood as well as work for just mum and dad. One half of the Client partnership had been involved in the world of interiors for some time, and so this project acted as a perfect collaboration between us.
The brief was to fully modernise the house without loosing its period character. The preference was for a rear extension, however we wanted to focus on a reconfiguration of the existing spaces and demonstrated how we could radically alter the feeling of the internal spaces to be budget sensitive and retain as much of the garden as possible.
When you enter the front door, direct views down towards the garden were very important to capture and new openings formed to feed that experience. A converted garage provides a hidden study space that can be opened up to the front garden or hidden away. A dark north facing Snug is enveloped in a deep blue to provide an intimate living room. Under the stairs a hidden doors takes you through to a Boot Room, guest WC and Utility Room. Bespoke joinery lines these spaces to make sure that they work beautifully and effectively.
The rear Kitchen, Dining and living spaces sit across a split level space, with ceiling heights reaching 3.5m tall. The existing windows were removed and openings increased in width to maximise views into the garden. The arched front entrance door of the existing building influenced the use of arched glazing to the rear. To provide a little bit of playful character one is flipped in either arrangement. Why you might ask, why not? The arched motif then travels across the front of the Kitchen doors as well as under the staircase.
The Kitchen stretches out into a dining area on the ground floor level, extending out to a garden level terrace. This terrace then steps down across the back of the house reflecting the internal building levels. The garden is designed by Ula Maria and compliments the quality and character of the internal spaces.
The brief was to fully modernise the house without loosing its period character. The preference was for a rear extension, however we wanted to focus on a reconfiguration of the existing spaces and demonstrated how we could radically alter the feeling of the internal spaces to be budget sensitive and retain as much of the garden as possible.
When you enter the front door, direct views down towards the garden were very important to capture and new openings formed to feed that experience. A converted garage provides a hidden study space that can be opened up to the front garden or hidden away. A dark north facing Snug is enveloped in a deep blue to provide an intimate living room. Under the stairs a hidden doors takes you through to a Boot Room, guest WC and Utility Room. Bespoke joinery lines these spaces to make sure that they work beautifully and effectively.
The rear Kitchen, Dining and living spaces sit across a split level space, with ceiling heights reaching 3.5m tall. The existing windows were removed and openings increased in width to maximise views into the garden. The arched front entrance door of the existing building influenced the use of arched glazing to the rear. To provide a little bit of playful character one is flipped in either arrangement. Why you might ask, why not? The arched motif then travels across the front of the Kitchen doors as well as under the staircase.
The Kitchen stretches out into a dining area on the ground floor level, extending out to a garden level terrace. This terrace then steps down across the back of the house reflecting the internal building levels. The garden is designed by Ula Maria and compliments the quality and character of the internal spaces.
Project Year: 2023
