inglenook house

FORM’s approach to improving this Edwardian house was to concentrate the new contemporary interventions in two areas: the creation of a rear ground floor open plan family room, kitchen and dining room and a new bedroom suite in the loft. The key element on the ground floor is a projecting cedar-clad contemporary ‘inglenook’ incorporating a gas flame fire and the client’s tv and hi-fi centre. This gives a focus to the family room, which has been completely opened up. The inglenook, which was achieved under Permitted Development rights, provides an ingenious way of making space for additions such as a fireplace and shelving which would otherwise have encroached on the limited floor area. It also allows snatched glimpses of the garden, and brings light in. The second area of major work was a loft extension. The solution here was to extend the roof out with a new projecting dormer window to allow light into the bedroom, with a window set into the roof above the shower room. A new half landing was formed with a window above to bring daylight into the stairwell. The door to the shower room and some storage space are cleverly concealed within a curved wall, which separates the bedroom from the shower room and staircase.