THE FIRS Refurb & Extension

This large Victorian semi-detached house was part of a general refurbishment, extension and interior design project.  Although the project dealt with all four floors of the property, the major element was the rear part of the house which was a pre-war addition in a very poor state and structurally unsound, with no access to the garden. 

It was an ideal place to re-locate the kitchen and create a family living space with access to and views of the west facing garden and the afternoon light. The main issue was the physical connection to the outside space as the floor was 1200mm higher than the garden. It was decided therefore to remove the existing floor and drop this to the garden level. The cill of the existing large rear facing window was then also lowered to the threshold of the new floor. Not only did this provide a direct access to garden, it also raised the ceiling height by 1200mm to nearly 4.2m transforming the proportions of the room. It now became as tall as it was wide and long and the challenge was then to make the most of these unique proportions whilst maintaining a domestic human scale.

The size and height of the room was then ‘tamed’ using a large ornate cornice, deep skirtings and a picture rail with a feature wallpaper above. This, with the large openings and windows, broke up the walls and gave the impression of lowering the ceiling. 

An extension was placed to the side of the house to create a formal dining area. This was to the north elevation so it was designed with a vaulted glass roof to provide plenty of north light and also to match the ceiling height of the adjacent room. Two large openings were formed between the two rooms with head heights of 3.15m to match the French doors. These link the two areas but define them as separate. A large fireplace was specified to sit between the openings and provide a focal point. 

We must thank the vision and input of our amazing client who took the scheme on board and completed it in her own unique and stunning style.