Room Tour: A Period Extension Where Attention to Detail Paid Off
Traditional design was given a modern twist to create a practical space in harmony with existing architecture
It’s a challenge that often comes up with period property renovations – how do you update the space for a modern lifestyle while retaining the beauty of the original building?
For the owners of this Arts and Crafts house, the solution was found by working with architect Tom Wild to meticulously include sympathetic period elements while adding modern techniques and features.
By taking things slowly, the family ended up with a practical, light-filled extension that ties in beautifully with the old house.
For the owners of this Arts and Crafts house, the solution was found by working with architect Tom Wild to meticulously include sympathetic period elements while adding modern techniques and features.
By taking things slowly, the family ended up with a practical, light-filled extension that ties in beautifully with the old house.
The new extension leads off the hallway, which previously felt small and dark. Tom increased the size of the single door that led to the original kitchen and added a set of aluminium-framed glazed double doors to open up the entrance.
Internal glazed doors, Fabco Sanctuary.
Internal glazed doors, Fabco Sanctuary.
The wall that closed off the previous kitchen was removed to connect it to the new open-plan family room.
To ensure the flooring tied in with the original timber boards in the rest of the Arts and Crafts house, a specialist contractor constructed it on site. “They come to the site with varied-width boards, which are adjusted, sanded, bashed around and stained,” Tom explains.
Timber floors, Just Wood.
To ensure the flooring tied in with the original timber boards in the rest of the Arts and Crafts house, a specialist contractor constructed it on site. “They come to the site with varied-width boards, which are adjusted, sanded, bashed around and stained,” Tom explains.
Timber floors, Just Wood.
The couple worked with a kitchen design company to create their new cookspace. “As part of the concept design, we showed where important things such as the oven, sink and fridge were located,” Tom says. “The mantel was put in to hide the extractor fan.”
A metal-framed sliding pocket door leads to the original living room and is a great example of where traditional design meets modern technology.
Search the Houzz Professionals Directory for reviewed kitchen designers in your area.
A metal-framed sliding pocket door leads to the original living room and is a great example of where traditional design meets modern technology.
Search the Houzz Professionals Directory for reviewed kitchen designers in your area.
The team salvaged the timber frame from the previous opening and reused it. “The pocket door sits inside the timber frame,” Tom says, “so it looks as if it’s always been there.”
The original flooring can be seen through the glazed panels, with the new version working harmoniously next to it.
The original flooring can be seen through the glazed panels, with the new version working harmoniously next to it.
The two vaulted sections of the ceiling rise up either side of a central rooflight, which illuminates the dining table below. Another couple of rooflights were added to the rear pitched roof to brighten up the back of the room.
A row of cupboards with discreet push-to-open catches hides bags of storage along the back wall. Attractive wall lights above each cupboard help the owners to see the contents behind the routed MDF doors.
The seating area looks out to the garden and surrounds a cosy wood-burning stove. A fixed pane of glazing to the left of the wood-burner lines up with a view of a plum tree outside.
The slate hearth was installed at the same level as the wooden floor for a seamless finish.
Wood burning stove, W&H Supplies. Fixed-pane window, Fineline Aluminium.
The slate hearth was installed at the same level as the wooden floor for a seamless finish.
Wood burning stove, W&H Supplies. Fixed-pane window, Fineline Aluminium.
To connect the extension to the garden as much as possible, Tom designed two walls of glazing that could slide open.
“The cantilevered corner was key, so we worked with a structural engineer to get that right,” he says. “There’s a steel that runs all the way from the cupboards, and another that runs above the doors. It needed to be at the right level to line up with the original house and not disrupt it.”
Glazed sliding doors, Fineline Aluminium.
“The cantilevered corner was key, so we worked with a structural engineer to get that right,” he says. “There’s a steel that runs all the way from the cupboards, and another that runs above the doors. It needed to be at the right level to line up with the original house and not disrupt it.”
Glazed sliding doors, Fineline Aluminium.
The patio was laid with York stone, while bricks that match those on the original house form a neat border.
The original house has English bond brickwork and the extension retains that,” Tom says. “It’s reclaimed brick and, where possible, it comes from the existing house.”
A herringbone pattern that matches the brickwork below the first floor windows adds interest to the new addition.
“It took quite a lot of time to trial different mortar mixes to get the right tone that matched the old house,” Tom says. “Things were done a little slower, but they were done right first time.
“We had a client with a good eye for finishes and they were good to work with,” he adds. “It took a long time, but it was worth it in the end.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this sympathetically designed extension? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
A herringbone pattern that matches the brickwork below the first floor windows adds interest to the new addition.
“It took quite a lot of time to trial different mortar mixes to get the right tone that matched the old house,” Tom says. “Things were done a little slower, but they were done right first time.
“We had a client with a good eye for finishes and they were good to work with,” he adds. “It took a long time, but it was worth it in the end.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this sympathetically designed extension? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple with two children
Location Chichester, West Sussex
Property A detached Arts and Crafts house with five bedrooms and three bathrooms
Extension dimensions 6.4m x 7.3m
Architect Tom Wild of Helyer Davies Architects
Photos by Sophia Voce Photography
The couple who live in this stunning Arts and Crafts house asked Helyer Davies Architects to design them a large, multi-functional extension. The new addition sits to the front and side of the old property, but the position of the house means it looks out to the south-facing garden.
The team incorporated two pitched roofs on the extension, which sit just below the first floor windows, with a flat section in between. “We wanted to maximise height without it dominating the main house too much,” Tom says. “If we’d had one large pitched roof, the height would have doubled.”