Houzz Tour: A Victorian Home in Oxford is Totally Transformed
Architect Kieron Roberts helped transform a Victorian building in the heart of Oxford from student accommodation into a spacious family home
Natalie Wain
14 July 2014
UK-based Houzz contributor.
I've been writing for the national press in Britain for almost 10 years and my most recent post was as the News Editor at Housetohome.co.uk.
These days I can usually be found hunched over my dining room table (which I've commandeered as my office) where I scribble away for a number of UK-based publications, including Homes & Gardens, The Telegraph, metro.co.uk and This is Money, among others.
I'm a bit of a jack of all trades but hopefully master of some.
And, in case you're wondering, I'd describe my interior style is brave, bold and eclectic. That's not to say I don't love a gleaming white wall... but I can't resist an accessory or two.
As the glorious Vivienne Westwood once said, 'when in doubt, overdress...'
UK-based Houzz contributor.
I've been writing for the national press in Britain... More
‘Students don’t always look after houses,’ says Kieron Roberts from Riach Architects in Oxford, ‘and, to be honest, this building was a bit of a wreck when we first saw it.’ The student residents of this grand Victorian house had lived in a warren of rooms and what Kieron calls ‘generally sad-looking interiors’. But the potential for a complete overhaul and space for a generous extension attracted a family of six to buy the house and work with Kieron to create a beautifully proportioned home.
‘Luckily, the owners were very ambitious,’ says Kieron. ‘We already had planning permission to build a sizeable extension at the back of the house, but they wanted to explore the possibility of adding a basement to create a den for their four children as well.’
The completed home provides generous living space split over five floors, and a unique blend of contemporary and traditional styles that respects the building’s Victorian heritage.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A family with four children
Location Oxford
Designer Riach Architects
Size 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms
‘Luckily, the owners were very ambitious,’ says Kieron. ‘We already had planning permission to build a sizeable extension at the back of the house, but they wanted to explore the possibility of adding a basement to create a den for their four children as well.’
The completed home provides generous living space split over five floors, and a unique blend of contemporary and traditional styles that respects the building’s Victorian heritage.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A family with four children
Location Oxford
Designer Riach Architects
Size 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms
‘We made a lot of structural alterations to the old part of the house,’ says Kieron. ‘It’s a Victorian building and was designed for a different era. Back then, people wanted smaller, independent living spaces. We had to knock down a number of walls to create the wide, open-plan areas we have now.’ The client wanted to respect the traditional features in the original house without them overpowering the space. ‘She had a lot of ideas about what she wanted to achieve and we worked closely together to create this formal, but comfortable entertaining area,’ says Kieron. The client was particularly passionate about lighting, and statement chandeliers and pendants add visual interest throughout the home. Here, good lighting is essential. ‘This is naturally quite a dark space,’ says Kieron. ‘There is a large tree in front of the window, but the house is in a conservation area, so we had to respect it and leave it there.’
The formal dining space is positioned at the rear of the house, at the opposite end to the open-plan living area. It looks out over the green roof of the modern extension. Tom Dixon pendant lights and dining chairs upholstered in colourful velvet lend plenty of character and a playful note to this space, while light floods into the room via a large bay window. Kieron sourced the distressed oak flooring from local company Indigenous.
Browse 9 ways to be brave with colour
Browse 9 ways to be brave with colour
Three statement chandeliers are grouped in the hallway, and their softly traditional look is sympathetic to this space, which is in the original part of the house. ‘When you are working with these kinds of houses, which are Victorian with a modern extension, it’s absolutely key to establish where you mark the transition between the more contemporary side with its modern elements and the original period property,’ says Kieron.
The promise of a sizable extension at the rear was what attracted the family to buy the house. ‘The owners wanted the space to flow naturally from the old part of the house into the new addition,’ says Kieron. This idea has been extended into the garden, too, by building an integrated sunken terrace into the outside space. ‘Now, there is a strong visual connection between the internal and external space,’ says Kieron. The family uses this terrace as a dining room during the summer months.
‘This lovely open-plan room is where the family comes to relax, watch TV and eat together,’ says Kieron. ‘It is a much less formal space than the upstairs dining and living area and has a more contemporary feel.’ Ample natural light streams into this part of the house via skylights in the roof. ‘We wanted to keep the interiors in here really crisp and clean,’ says Kieron, ‘so we added recessed strip lighting in the skylight rather than add a chandelier here.’
A grand, oversized clock dominates the informal dining area and was salvaged by the family from an old American train station. After refurbishing and restoring it to full working order, they decided to install lights behind the facade, which illuminate it at night.
The flooring in the kitchen and downstairs extension complements the exposed brickwork, lending this area a softly industrial vibe. ‘We laid lovely big limestone flagstones through this part of the house,’ says Kieron. ‘The brickwork you can see here actually extends to the garden wall outside, so there is a play between the internal and external areas.’
Check out more skylights
Check out more skylights
The kitchen, which sits within the original property, has been designed to flow seamlessly into the new extension. With no windows in this area, the owners were keen to keep walls white and choose worktops with a pale finish to reflect as much light as possible around this space. The kitchen was designed by Kitchen Coordination using units made by German company Rational. Red stainless steel bar stools add a vibrant pop of colour to the scheme, while another trio of pretty pendant lights hints at the glamorous interiors in the more formal parts of the house.
‘We decided a glass balustrade leading down to the basement would be inconspicuous and complement the open-plan design best,’ says Kieron. ‘It is one huge piece of glass, going from the top to the bottom of the stairs, so installing it was quite a challenge!’
A spacious basement is used by the family’s four kids as a den. To give this room a unique flavour, the family commissioned a graffiti artist from Ibiza to create the surf-themed artwork along the back wall. The entire family surfs and they are all represented at various points in the mural. Logistical challenges prevented Kieron from installing a polished concrete floor in this area, so he decided on a micro concrete finish instead, which looks the same, but is simply skimmed over the existing floor. ‘It is hand finished, so we didn’t have to get any heavy machinery down here,’ he says, ‘but it still has that hard-wearing, industrial look we were after.’
The master bedroom and en-suite bathroom are at the back of the house. ‘There is definitely a glamorous and luxurious feel to these rooms,’ says Kieron. The biggest challenge here was finding a chandelier that was suitable for hanging over the bath. ‘This was something the owner particularly wanted,’ he says. ‘This RockCoco one by Fatboy is IP rated, which means it’s safe to be installed in a room where water is used, such as the bathroom, and can even be hung outside.’
On the top floor, the kids’ bathroom has a cool, urban vibe with metro tiles on the walls and splashproof wood-effect tiles on the floor. ‘This room is a bit more fun,’ says Kieron, ‘with the album covers on the walls and pops of orange.’
The garden has been zoned off into different areas. The roof of the extension has been planted with wild flower seeds so visually, it seems to flow into the garden beyond. ‘It’s also much nicer to look at from the upper floors than a plain slate roof would be,’ says Kieron.
Do you like this home? Let us know why in the Comments below.
Do you like this home? Let us know why in the Comments below.
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I look at this house as a treat to my eye. Sure, most of us can't live this grand, but don't you still love to look at it? I think it is an amazing house, and really appreciate the planning, thought, time and attention to detail that must have gone into getting this both started and completed. I don't want every beautiful thing I see but I sure like looking at them. I hope the family is young enough to live a long happy life in this house.
That's a lovely colour on the walls in the dining room. Do you mind me asking what it is?