INTO THE FOLD

A small extension makes a big impact in the Origami House: an insightful lesson in using space mindfully

-  Natasha Radmehr

DETAILS

What A small but hardworking extension on a family home a

Where Stirlingshire

Architect Loader Monteith

Nature has a way of guiding us towards the right decisions, doesn't it? It's what convinced Karen and Hugh Pizey, owners of this family home in a conservation village in Stirlingshire, that they'd found their place. The village enjoys a bucolic setting, hugged by acres of jewel-green patchwork fields, and the house possesses a hidden wonderland of a garden. And that was the main sticking point. A vista so idyllic should never be obscured from sight.

"We had this huge space outside that none of the windows or doors looked or opened out to, so you couldn't enjoy it or feel it was part of the home,” recalls Hugh. “We wanted to reconnect the house to the light and greenery outside.”

The Pizeys approached Loader Monteith to undertake the project after seeing how the Glasgow-based practice had successfully rearranged and extended the Shieling, a historic cottage in the heart of Fintry's conservation area. The scenario was similar; the firm had thoughtfully improved the Shieling's relationship with its verdant surroundings by the Campsie Fells while navigating stringent conservation regulations. There was a clear synergy between the owners' vision and the practice's expertise in environmentally sensitive design.