The basic principal of the restructuring was to bring enough light into the inner rooms of the building by removing several walls and zoning the new rooms in a way that did not entirely disregard the original room layout
On the ground floor, all interior walls were removed. The newly created room is subdivided through freestanding furniture and by the newly inserted beams. The three spatial layers of kitchen, dining and living can be read as clearly separated areas; simultaneously, the ground floor can be experienced as a single spacious room with view through to the garden when entering the house.
In the living area, the low ceiling has been replaced by a new timber ceiling, in which the beams are visible and give the impression of a taller room.
The furniture element contains the kitchen cupboards, cloakroom and guest toilet. High level cabinets in the kitchen were deliberately omitted to direct light deep into the room.
By relocating the heating systems into the attic, the existing chimney could be used for the installation of a fireplace. A timber staircase that runs the entire width of the house creates a connection to the garden and through its western orientation establishes a wonderful evening seating area.
The staircase not only provides access to the garden, but also covers the outside stairs to the basement. Part of the staircase can be opened like a boot lid, to allow access to the basement without the need for additional safety barriers.
Similarly some interior walls were removed upstairs and the narrow corridor widened. The two windows are now directly opposite each other and illuminate the corridor from both sides.
The larger of the two internal bathrooms has a new openable skylight to receive natural light and establish a connection to the outside. By merging two very small rooms, a comfortably large bedroom was created. The attic room is experienced as a full room thanks to an existing dormer. Here, just as in the children’s bedroom, only the surfaces had to be renewed.
In terms of materiality, emphasis was placed on natural materials and as few materials as possible. The floors in the whole house are made of brushed and oiled oak boards and the walls are rendered with a light, exposed lime plaster. The ceilings were smoothed with gypsum and also left exposed.
The bright walls and ceilings not only transmit a lot of light into the interior, but through their slightly cloudy colouration, also give the house a pleasant sense of calm.
The existing staircase was freed from numerous layers of paint, the stairs were oiled and the railing painted with oil based paint.
The result of the restructuring is not a single large gesture, but the sum of many small interventions and measures, which lead to a coherent whole. With a sense of uncontrived ease, the house has been transformed into a bright and generous place to live, without denying its past.
