We were approached to modernise this home in a lakeside setting on the edge of a forest in Berkshire, we quickly realised there was more we could do to make the property work for the family. The starting point to our brief was to create a really great kitchen family entertaining area and to reconfigure the support spaces: the pantry, utility room and downstairs WC. The ground floor was originally a very different layout with the original kitchen being located in a narrow space between the hallway and garden. The owners wanted space with a good connection to the outside, where they could host friends and enjoy barbecues.We also worked on the loft space to create a playroom, study and added a small extension to the first floor as well.
There were a few challenges....
The house is built on a slope which can raise issues when it comes to laying the foundations and the eventual finished landscape. We designed an extension using the typography to our advantage What could have been an insurmountable challenge resulted in the creation of a space that employs different levels to accentuate the architectural design and establish a structure that internally feels like a floating pavilion.
We found bats in the loft space which caused a delay as we had to work around their roosting timetable.
