Stylish Comfort

Melanie Browne of Des Ewing Architects took on the challenge of designing the renovation of this 1950s London property and transformed it into a modern and highly stylish family home.

This drab suburban detached house with a large sloping south facing garden was in dire need of updating and remodelling when purchased by the client. On a tight budget, the brief was to transform the external appearance and kerb appeal of the house, renovate and update the interior, extend to the rear to improve the connection to the garden and increase living space on the ground floor.

The original garden room to the rear was demolished and replaced with a two storey gabled extension. On the ground floor, this created a light and airy living room, off the newly enlarged kitchen. This living part of the house (consisting of open-plan kitchen and dining bookended by two living rooms all opening out onto the rear south facing terrace) became a space which ebbed and flowed along the sunny rear of the house.

A wood burning stove was installed in the ground floor ‘snug’ to ensure a cosy atmosphere even though most of the external walls are glazed. At first floor level a new master bedroom was created, with a vaulted ceiling and juliette balcony maximising views to the garden below – a special room befitting the newly improved house.

Externally, the dull dated ordinary brickwork was rendered and painted white, instantly freshening and updating the house. Replacing all the windows and doors was integral to improving the external look of the house. The choice of window style was a major design decision, initially specified as slimline metal framed ‘Crittal’ style windows this had to be reviewed when costs came in.