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Kitchen Tour: Gorgeous Glazing Floods a New Extension With Light
A spacious new kitchen and dining space with stunning steel windows transforms the rear of this Victorian family home
Creating this beautiful extension to a Victorian house in Essex was very much a team effort. The owners worked with a local architect to draw up plans, then enlisted Project Nine Property Group, a design and build company run by Sam Holman and his brother, Jake, to work out specifications and budgets, and then make it a reality.
“The owner had done a lot of research, [including] on Houzz, and gave us loads of pictures to work with, which was great,” Sam says. “She knew the look she wanted and we could recommend the suppliers and, of course, do all the work from start to finish.”
Now, the finished space is one of his favourite projects. “The clients were super nice and we were working with quality materials,” he says. “We get the most satisfaction when we can look back and see such a great aesthetic.”
“The owner had done a lot of research, [including] on Houzz, and gave us loads of pictures to work with, which was great,” Sam says. “She knew the look she wanted and we could recommend the suppliers and, of course, do all the work from start to finish.”
Now, the finished space is one of his favourite projects. “The clients were super nice and we were working with quality materials,” he says. “We get the most satisfaction when we can look back and see such a great aesthetic.”
“There was already a really small brick-built extension at the back, which didn’t have any insulation or great heating,” Sam says. “It had been used as a dining room and flowed off the old kitchen. We demolished that to make way for the new extension.”
Rather than a straight wall of glazing across the back, the new design is stepped to ensure the neighbouring property gets adequate light.
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Rather than a straight wall of glazing across the back, the new design is stepped to ensure the neighbouring property gets adequate light.
Got a project in mind? Find the best expert for the job in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
This exterior shot shows how the extension is shallower on the left to avoid overshadowing the neighbour’s house. There’s no stone parapet on that side, either. “That would have added approximately another five courses of brickwork, which again might have blocked light,” Sam says.
The slim sightlines of the black steel doors and windows fitted on the extension ensure maximum light flows into the property. In addition, they have a certified B thermal rating, which helps to conserve heat in winter. “They are very beautiful,” Sam says. “The lines are really sleek.”
Steel doors and windows in RAL 9004 Signal Black, supplied and installed by Fabco Sanctuary.
Steel doors and windows in RAL 9004 Signal Black, supplied and installed by Fabco Sanctuary.
Plans of the ground floor show the new extension, with the snug in the original house on the left (labelled Living Room) and the utility room on the right.
The snug, in the rear of the original house, had previously been used as a secondary living and dining space. “The owners felt it didn’t really serve them,” Sam says.
He fully opened up the room to the new extension. “We put in a lot of structural steelwork so we could open up the back of the house,” he says. “It all flows into one.”
He then worked with the owners to make sure the extension felt in keeping with the existing spaces. “It’s a lovely home, with high ceilings and nice features, so we thought, let’s try to make it all in that style,” Sam says. That meant installing high skirting boards and traditional column radiators in the new addition.
He fully opened up the room to the new extension. “We put in a lot of structural steelwork so we could open up the back of the house,” he says. “It all flows into one.”
He then worked with the owners to make sure the extension felt in keeping with the existing spaces. “It’s a lovely home, with high ceilings and nice features, so we thought, let’s try to make it all in that style,” Sam says. That meant installing high skirting boards and traditional column radiators in the new addition.
Although the snug sits at the centre of the house, the abundant light from the extension’s glazing and the open-plan layout keep it feeling bright.
The owner chose a warm green for the walls, taken up to the picture rail. The same parquet flooring runs through here and into the extension to unify the space.
Walls painted in Card Room Green, Farrow & Ball. Engineered wood parquet flooring, thefloorstore. Cabinet, Loaf.
The owner chose a warm green for the walls, taken up to the picture rail. The same parquet flooring runs through here and into the extension to unify the space.
Walls painted in Card Room Green, Farrow & Ball. Engineered wood parquet flooring, thefloorstore. Cabinet, Loaf.
The owner knew she wanted a two-colour kitchen, with a darker shade on the island. The cabinets are topped with a quartz worktop, which continues up the walls as a splashback, creating a clean look.
Real Shaker kitchen in Mushroom (on perimeter units) and Bakehouse Green (on island); Aged Brass Ionian tap; Bella Brass knobs and handles, all deVOL. Quartz worktops and splashback, CK Stone. Pendant lights, Jim Lawrence.
Real Shaker kitchen in Mushroom (on perimeter units) and Bakehouse Green (on island); Aged Brass Ionian tap; Bella Brass knobs and handles, all deVOL. Quartz worktops and splashback, CK Stone. Pendant lights, Jim Lawrence.
Antique brass switches and sockets were installed throughout. “Those little details make a big difference to the feel and aesthetic,” Sam says.
Richmond wall lights; switches; sockets, all Corston. Walls and ceiling painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball. Pendant light, Nkuku.
Richmond wall lights; switches; sockets, all Corston. Walls and ceiling painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball. Pendant light, Nkuku.
The sunlight flooding in through the wall-to-wall glazing penetrates right to the back of the space.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
Two rooflights run in a line along the back of the extension. “They are pretty much flat, with just a slight fall to prevent water sitting there,” Sam says. “If they’re completely flat, the water doesn’t run off as well when it rains, and you end up with rain spots on there for longer.”
The utility room off the kitchen is linked via a glass pocket door.
The utility room has outdoor access, too, so the owners can enter the house here and drop off muddy boots and dog paraphernalia.
Cabinets, deVOL.
Cabinets, deVOL.
This beautiful transformation took five months to pull off. “We used the Houzz Pro Schedule tool to create a timeline, which we shared with the owners, so they had an overview of which works were being carried out on a specific week or day,” Sam says.
The owners felt this was a standout benefit. “Sam and Jake have been so helpful and professional,” they said, “ensuring we were kept fully informed throughout the project and providing us with a detailed plan and timeframe of all the different aspects, which really helped us with our budget and planning.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this kitchen and dining space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The owners felt this was a standout benefit. “Sam and Jake have been so helpful and professional,” they said, “ensuring we were kept fully informed throughout the project and providing us with a detailed plan and timeframe of all the different aspects, which really helped us with our budget and planning.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this kitchen and dining space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple with two children and a dog
Location Colchester, Essex
Property A three-storey detached Victorian house with seven bedrooms and three bathrooms
Extension dimensions 36 sq m
Design and build Sam Holman of Project Nine Property Group
Architectural design LPS Architecture
Project year 2023
Photos by Visual Peak
The project involved creating a large extension housing a kitchen and dining space, with a snug and a utility room flowing off it. Sam and his team also created the patio outside and did all the landscaping.
Initially, Sam used Houzz Pro’s Takeoff tool to quickly and accurately measure and mark up plans on screen, then turn them into Estimates. “The owners appreciated that, because we got everything priced from the start, so there were no later discussions or added extras, and we avoided potential delays,” he says.