Although set on a 1880m2 erf with a bubbling stream that runs through the gardens, this existing 720m2 home was a very disjointed property that was being used as a guest house. Nothing ‘married’ and it was evident that the house had received a few make overs, none of which made any real connection to the existing house.
The biggest issue for the client was that the house was really dark...a rabbit warren of passages and rooms. Entirely mismatched doors and windows. Strange roofing angles and extremely dated finishes.
My brief was to transform this property into a functional family home with a contemporary Provence and elegant style. Incorporating all that represents stylish and relaxed living.
We chose to focus on an eclectic combination of merging the old with the new. With a striking use of exposed internal beams, high ceilings and dramatic finishes, we wanted to maintain the original integrity of the structure, but enhance all the areas that fell short on design and ambiance in its previous incarnation!
The two parts of the building (double and single storey) didn’t relate to each other and were not linked. We achieved this by designing a unified roof structure and coherent windows, doors and architectural detail which resulted in a more unified building and space.
In addition, parts of the house were very dark (e.g. kitchen, dining room, family room) so through opening up key areas and by bringing in large sunrise windows a lot more light fills the home whilst maintaining the sense of history of the house (e.g. the original shutters and sash windows).
The upstairs area received an entirely new roof structure, creating a more streamlined finish and the external appearance is now in line with the original house.
After
Before
A mezzanine level was designed above the old ‘B&B’ bedroom section, which added another exciting feature to the house offering a different dynamic
The Entrance Hall
Being the first impression of any home, I always like to bring in ‘visual screening’ in the entrance so that not all is apparent to the visitor when you first walk in. Yet it was vital to open it up to allow the light from the lovely new sunrise window above the lounge and mezzanine to stream in! The entire ground floor comprising the entrance, dining room, lounge, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms were all gutted to make way for this beautiful transformation.
The kitchen – the heart of any home…
My client had a very good idea of what she wanted to achieve which made the design of this space, a pleasure! Everything was opened up to create a scullery /laundry room between the garage and the new kitchen providing direct access to the house from the garage. Everything was catered for and given the new generous spaces, made this all the more achievable!
A large island links the entire custom built kitchen together with the new dining and lounge open plan areas. Like all the bespoke cabinetry in the house, which included the vanities and wardrobes we worked very closely with the client to achieve the final look and feel. The French white look was hand painted on site. Elements of oak were introduced in the floating shelves on either side of the built in cooker hood and the counter top on the armoire as well as little the fox drawers underneath the Victorian Bathroom Butlers sink.
In addition to the very satisfying overall design which met all their storage and aesthetic requirements, a BIG win for me was the fact that I could reuse three original huge sash windows which replaced the pokey windows which originally faced the street. Apart from these generous windows creating quite an impact, they naturally have allowed for so much more light to flood in.
Guest WC
I love guest cloakrooms as it’s the one room your guest will certainly visit! I wanted the finish to connect with and be an extension of the entrance hall. We achieved a stylishly luxurious finish with the use of the textured wall covering, the fabric in the blind, the repurposed dining server for the vanity and the old linen cupboard was replaced with the bespoke glass cabinet, with the new engineered oak flooring adding warmth to the overall finish.
Entrances and Exits
This façade received a meaningful transformation which had to meet their vehicle height requirements and also to add charm to the street façade. This was quite a challenge given the different levels of the street and existing driveway coupled with the extremely low garage ceiling structure.
Apart from replacing the single garage doors with one double door, I decided to soften the façade above the garaging by reusing some of the original beautiful shutters that were on the other side of the house that were being replaced with double doors.
This, together with the new sash windows, created a sympathetic link between the new upstairs section and existing home. It is also essentially the only side of the house that is visible from the street.
This, together with the new sash windows, created a sympathetic link between the new upstairs section and existing home. It is also essentially the only side of the house that is visible from the street.
Open plan formal living area, playroom, family room and downstairs bedrooms
A very significant change was to open up the old formal lounge and some of the B&B section to comprise the new formal lounge, freestanding fireplace, the mezzanine and reading area downstairs.
The Mezzanine: The design challenge was to be able to minimize the amount of roof trusses from support point of view so that we could achieve enough comfortable head height in the m ezzanine. I also wanted it to look less busy so Together with my builder architect and engineer we looked at ways of successfully achieving this.
The Mezzanine: The design challenge was to be able to minimize the amount of roof trusses from support point of view so that we could achieve enough comfortable head height in the m ezzanine. I also wanted it to look less busy so Together with my builder architect and engineer we looked at ways of successfully achieving this.
The client chose a very powerful unit, accessible from both sides, as it had to warm a VAST section of the house, so this leant itself to a built in structure.
I loved the feature of the stainless steel flu which I wanted to be visible from the lounge, so I worked it so that a section was open from the lounge and then continued through the floor of the mezzanine and through the roof. This was not only a powerful aesthetic but extremely functional from a heating perspective.
The challenge here was to not let anything feel too voluminous, which the division of the two spaces with the fireplace successfully, achieves. I designed the staircase using a combination of the old oak parquet blocks with mild steel to play off the textures of the raw brick and stainless steel of the flu.
I loved the feature of the stainless steel flu which I wanted to be visible from the lounge, so I worked it so that a section was open from the lounge and then continued through the floor of the mezzanine and through the roof. This was not only a powerful aesthetic but extremely functional from a heating perspective.
The challenge here was to not let anything feel too voluminous, which the division of the two spaces with the fireplace successfully, achieves. I designed the staircase using a combination of the old oak parquet blocks with mild steel to play off the textures of the raw brick and stainless steel of the flu.
This striking combination of high end luxe with industrial finishes i.e. raw brick, steel, with the wood and surrounding glass balustrades contributed to an uncluttered finish.
The lower level downstairs playroom and informal TV Lounge were reworked to maintain a degree of privacy between the two spaces, yet remain connected. These both lead out onto the pool area. A considerable amount of work went into the design of this area as once again it was a series of ‘outside service rooms’ on different levels that had to be streamlined into one seamless section of the house. This also allowed for the sixth bedroom en suite, where there were previously three.
The lower level downstairs playroom and informal TV Lounge were reworked to maintain a degree of privacy between the two spaces, yet remain connected. These both lead out onto the pool area. A considerable amount of work went into the design of this area as once again it was a series of ‘outside service rooms’ on different levels that had to be streamlined into one seamless section of the house. This also allowed for the sixth bedroom en suite, where there were previously three.
This was one of the biggest design challenges as it was here that it was critical that the two ‘houses’ should connect. The existing lawn came very close to the tv lounge with just a few small steps that took you there. The pool area was entirely detached from the main house.
We addressed this by ‘pushing back’ the lawned area to align with the outside terrace in front of the formal lounge and created a generous terrace with four broad sweeping treads to the upper lawn. This essentially opened up the entire pool area to now include the new terrace in front of the tv lounge making an elegant statement.
In addition to this we lost all the old 70’s curves to create a more unified finish.
We addressed this by ‘pushing back’ the lawned area to align with the outside terrace in front of the formal lounge and created a generous terrace with four broad sweeping treads to the upper lawn. This essentially opened up the entire pool area to now include the new terrace in front of the tv lounge making an elegant statement.
In addition to this we lost all the old 70’s curves to create a more unified finish.
The downstairs guest bedrooms were recreated entirely, to include en suite bathrooms and dressing areas. New French doors lead onto the private garden facing the mountain with captivating views.
To add more elegance and flow to the entertainment areas we created a wrap around terrace to give a beautiful connection to these new generous exterior spaces.
The original balcony deck was very low, so to achieve optimal height and much needed light, we removed and cast two entirely new decks that now connect and cover all these areas to maximize the effect.
The original balcony deck was very low, so to achieve optimal height and much needed light, we removed and cast two entirely new decks that now connect and cover all these areas to maximize the effect.
Bedrooms & Bathrooms
Here a series of rooms, with a connecting bathroom and small study and bizarre shapes and angles were completely realigned and streamlined to create three clearly defined new bedrooms all en suite. And all private.
For the main bedroom we liked the idea of a ‘hotel style’ with plenty of storage/ dressing space and an integrated bathroom. We incorporated part of the balcony to achieve this and with the use of the mid wall allowed for a lovely glamorous connection between the two.
Apart from the strategic lighting, we selected Damask wall covering together with Volekas marble and luxurious Victorian Bathroom finishes completing the look!
Apart from the strategic lighting, we selected Damask wall covering together with Volekas marble and luxurious Victorian Bathroom finishes completing the look!
Energy Efficiency
The client called in an outside specialist to address all their solar and heating requirements resulting in a comprehensive system that would take them ‘off the grid’. In addition to this, materials were upcycled wherever possible in new and interesting ways. The parquet blocks, the steel from the exterior balustrades that divided the pool area were repurposed and installed in the front balcony above the entrance, the use of the original sash windows, shutters and doors wherever possible.
Both flus for the new fireplaces extended through the slab to allow for maximum efficiency and heat distribution for both rooms.
Both flus for the new fireplaces extended through the slab to allow for maximum efficiency and heat distribution for both rooms.
The re-roofing and wow factor!
The ‘new wing’ i.e. the family en suite bedrooms in the upstairs section of the house received an entirely new roof.
This was designed to be elevated to accommodate the huge sunrise window and once again to connect to the overall feel of the house. This allowed for the dramatic double volume above the sweeping oak staircase, which held the same curved shape but was reworked to be an extension of the new oak floor. Furthermore this new structure successfully met the energy requirements which previously were not met. Here an unattractive, low sloping roof was removed to allow for this new heightened feature to emerge. This section previously was a hot house in summer.
The upstairs section received all new sash windows and double doors. The window and door schedule was utterly streamlined to connect with the original sash and double doors of the house. We opted to work with sections of the house having exposed trusses. In the case of the main formal lounge, these were existing trusses that we refined and painted, significantly heightening the area and creating the Wow factor. This was also strategic because of the mezzanine/lounge sunrise window. This entire ceiling and window detail went a long way to address the issue of light, which one does not normally associate with in houses in Fernwood.
This was designed to be elevated to accommodate the huge sunrise window and once again to connect to the overall feel of the house. This allowed for the dramatic double volume above the sweeping oak staircase, which held the same curved shape but was reworked to be an extension of the new oak floor. Furthermore this new structure successfully met the energy requirements which previously were not met. Here an unattractive, low sloping roof was removed to allow for this new heightened feature to emerge. This section previously was a hot house in summer.
The upstairs section received all new sash windows and double doors. The window and door schedule was utterly streamlined to connect with the original sash and double doors of the house. We opted to work with sections of the house having exposed trusses. In the case of the main formal lounge, these were existing trusses that we refined and painted, significantly heightening the area and creating the Wow factor. This was also strategic because of the mezzanine/lounge sunrise window. This entire ceiling and window detail went a long way to address the issue of light, which one does not normally associate with in houses in Fernwood.
