The Right Connection

Modern extensions designed to incorporate the garden view serve to complement and enhance this 1950s Donnybrook home.

- PENNY CRAWFORD-COLLINS

The owner of this property has always had an interest in interiors, 'I enjoyed reading interiors magazines and was always interested to see what people had done to their homes, so I could immediately see the enormous potential this home had to offer,' she says. The house had only had one previous owner and hadn't been worked on for many years, it was rather tired looking and definitely in need of some attention. It was a relatively blank canvas for the owner to improve on, there was no dismantling required in terms of old poorly executed extensions, which would have been the norm for most houses of this period. The house was bought through a private sale, it was at a time of economic difficulties and not much building work was being done so this worked in my favour, and I was really lucky to have the chance to work with a team of great builders and a fantastic architect,' she explains.

For the owner the winning factor of this house was its central location, the wonderful site, its privacy and its south west facing half an acre garden. 'It's so peaceful here, notwithstanding the central location and it's not overlooked at all, the light is amazing so I knew I wanted to do something with the rear of the house allowing for full engagement with the garden space.' 

Brimming with ideas the owner worked closely with the architects to come up with an innovative design that would realise her vision and give her a functional family home that had a great connection with the outside space. 'Essentially it's two extensions that are linked together. One side houses the master bedroom and the other the kitchen living space, with a more formal room in the middle. The huge expanse of glass makes the whole ground floor space feel really light, bright and airy and the layout ensures there is a perfect flow between the house and the garden. The garden is cleverly drawn in from every aspect of the new extensions.'